RP:To Protect

From HollowWiki

Part of the Surface Tension Arc



Synopsis: An otherwise uneventful afternoon in Kelay Tavern is interrupted by Talyara, who fills Emrith in on her progress regarding the seeking of truth from a certain drow sympathizer. They speak awhile, and Talyara provides Emrith with two gifts: a rune of protection to aid in his future battles, and a small carnelian, which will hopefully give him more magical strength and mental acuity. Emrith explains that he has an emerald much like her own, and that he will break it if there is trouble on his mission.


Kelay Tavern

Talyara whispered to Emrith, "When you have a moment, I have some information for our task I want to run by you."


Emrith is startled by the whisper in his ear, and jumps slightly. He had been sitting at a table, enjoying the remainder of a glass of water - still cold, thankfully - and the voice surprises him. He nods his head, indicating that Talyara should sit, or should otherwise convey whatever she means to convey. The elves have a system of hand-talk, by which more simple messages can be exchanged, and Emrith now flashes several signs in Talyara's direction, the basic jist of which would say, "Speak your business. I am listening." Some are not so aware of this complex hidden language, but if Talyara sees the meaning in Emrith's gestures, this may be an extremely effective way to pass messages without verbalizing them.


Without waiting for an invitation, Talyara slid into the seat across from Emrith. She lays the worn book with yellowing pages that she had been reading the night before onto the table. She quickly riffles through the pages until she finds what she is looking for. She slowly slides the tome across the table and points to a passage. Emrith would not be able to decipher what the words actually said as the book was enchanted; however, Talyara began to explain in hushed elven words so as not to be overheard. "I think I have found our answer. It does not lie within a potion, but rather an oil. It would be much safer as you wouldn't have to consume it and I think it would help you receive more accurate answers."


Emrith studies the book; true to Talyara's expectation, he cannot make out a word, though something feels peculiar enough about the tome that Emrith wishes to reach out and touch it. His kind have ever been tightly attuned to magic. Before he can do this, Talyara begins to translate, and Emrith finds himself nodding along. When he speaks, he does so in his mother tongue, and keeps his voice low. "Is this oil meant for the questioner or the victim? If it is meant for a victim, how would it be best applied, and in what quantities? It seems risky."


Talyara leans forward slightly to slide her finger further down the page. A necklace that had not been there the night before catches in the candlelight. A beautiful emerald the size of an eyeball hangs from a strand of leather, wrapped in some type of thin, metal wire for safe keeping on her slender neck. She keeps her eyes on the enchanted book and continues in hushed words, despite the use of the elven language. "It would be worn by the victim. Not much is needed at all as it is very potent. There are two options for this..." The half elf finally lifts her gaze to meet Emrith's. "If I am to befriend this man, I can try and get it on him, whether it be under the pretense of some massage oil or something of the sort. Or, I can make a poppet and we simply apply the oil to that."


Emrith looks curiously at the emerald necklace Talyara now wears, and mentally checks off one of his smaller worries; clearly, the woman is not taking his warning about the fragility of the enchanted stone lightly. "If you think you can give him a massage, that might be best, or safest. A question, though: how will you avoid the effects of the oil? Would you not be giving the massage skin to skin, using your hands? If so, the oil would affect you in the same way it would affect the human."


Talyara tucks a stray curl of her chestnut hair behind her ear and sits back in her chair once again. "I will do some protection enchantments on myself, but, yes, there is a chance I will be effected by the oil." Before Emrith can offer any protests she continues quickly, "The oil is not harmful in a painful sense. It's called the Command and Compell oil. My mother created it years ago when we were having issues within our coven. The only thing that will happen is, like the victim, I will have to obey any command you give me." At this she offers a playful smirk, "but I trust you won't abuse that kind of power."


Emrith does not find the idea of compelling Talyara appealing, and does not show any of the girl's sense of humour. Better days, better times, and the elf might smile, but the more that is demanded of him by fate, the more his easier nature is being drowned by slow degrees. "I would never abuse such a thing, Talyara. You have my word on it. I know that I always ask questions, but I have one or two more. First, is the oil foolproof if the dose is large enough, or could a victim fight a command? Second, does the victim know they are being compelled to obey against their will, or is the magic in the oil such that they will construe any command as something they actively want to do? These questions I ask simply so that I know what to expect: a struggling victim who knows he has been compromised, or a victim so enchanted by what you have done that he wishes to please." Emrith cannot stifle the shudder which runs through him. Even the thought of so completely compelling someone is abhorrent to him; he will do it, and he may see justice done by it, but he will under no circumstances enjoy it. "If this plan of ours goes off, I will do everything I can to keep you safe. I would not have anyone taking advantage of you in a compromised state, no matter how you felt about it at the time."


Talyara allows a sigh to escape her lips. Despite not knowing Emrith long, she knew he would not take advantage of her in such a state, even though she only meant the statement playfully. She knew this whole situation was serious, and important, but she couldn't help but feel for the elf who very rarely smiled. She secretly vowed to herself that she would try and help him with that once all this was behind them. "Well I am not nearly as powerful as my mother was when she concocted the oil we used, but that's not to say I doubt my abilities. She had nearly twenty years of practice and knowledge on what I have now. I believe the oil will work. When things were going wrong in the coven we used this on a fellow witch and she wasn't able to throw it." She tips back in her chair and hugs her arms across her chest. "He will be aware of what is going on but he will not be able to resist. Unless you wish for me to give him an herb that can help him not realize what is going on to subdue him, but that can compromise the answers he gives you." After a few moments of silence she faces Emrith again, unsmiling, a look of, was it sadness?, in her eyes. "I don't like this either, but the risks of a potion means he could be poisoned. It also means that the same harm could befall you..."


Emrith listens to Talyara explain more about her oil of compulsion, and when she has finished, he responds, and with more brevity than is typical of him. "I do not want him compromised and unaware if that will affect the merit of his answers. And so long as he cannot simply fight off the effects of the oil once enough is applied, I will be best pleased." He smiles then, a rare thing, though it is not as bright as once it might have been. "Talyara, I would give you something, or do something for you, for your hand in this. The risk to you now is even greater than once it was; all it would take is for someone to find you and compel you after you did as I asked, and you could be in a world of trouble. Name me a price, or a favour, and if it is within my power, it is yours."


Talyara nods her head in agreement. "Aye, I wouldn't recommend giving him any type of herbal mixture on top of the oil. It can be dangerous to layer spell on top of spell, thus causing the intention given to the universe to be confused and give us something we do not want. No, straight oil is the best to go. He might well be confused as to why he is following your commands but he will be fully conscious of his actions." She allows her chair to fall forward with a thud and lays her hands on the table. She shakes her head and a few strands of hair fall across her face, obscuring her vision slightly. "I do not wish for anything from you, Emrith. You asked for my help and I give it to you freely. Maybe one day I will earn your friendship, and that will be more than enough."


Emrith nods his head, but looks troubled. "I will not forgive myself if you are hurt for this. Despite all appearances, I do have a heart, and that heart does not like putting others at risk, even when the risk exists for good reason. I know that you have volunteered, and I know that you are capable enough to know your strengths and weaknesses. I just..." He trails off, clearly at a loss; his face shows more emotion than perhaps at any point before while speaking with this particular woman, and most of what is writ large thereupon is misery. The quiet, hand-wringing kind.


Talyara's emerald eyes absorb the paid wrought on his face really knowing what she is doing, the witch reaches across the table and takes his hand in hers. While not an empath like her sister, upon her skin touching his it was impossible not to feel the hurt in his heart. Talyara further leans her body across the table and speaks in a soft, kind voice. "It will be okay, Emrith."


Emrith is touched beyond words, at first, by Talyara's simple gesture. This time, he does not pull away when she takes his hand; part of him wants to, but it is easily mastered by the rest of him, which simply wallows, adrift, in the sea of feelings that washes through him. "Maybe, maybe," he murmurs, "and maybe not. I was told that you must take what you want, and pay for it. What will be the cost, I wonder?" This is all said half to himself, as if Talyara, for the moment at least, has faded into the background.


Talyara feels the corners of her mouth pull into a smile as Emrith does not pull away from her hand, embracing her touch. She keeps hold as she closes her eyes and begins to pull forth energy. Fueled by the protection circle she and Lanara had cast two nights previously, Talyara begins to focus that conjured energy into her free hand. Slowly, she turns over Emrith's hand and begins to draw the rune for protection with her fingertip on his exposed palm. Magic was amazing and beautiful, but the witch believed in free will. Therefore, if Emrith accepted her energy he would feel a tingling sensation on his skin where the rune was drawn. Slowly, Talyara opens her eyes.


Emrith does not know precisely what Talyara is doing, and his first impulse, as is so often true with the unknown, is to pull back from it. He grits his teeth. He takes in a breath. He does not, in fact, withdraw his hand. Trust must begin somewhere, and although he has already entrusted Talyara with both information and an assignment to use said information, that is not enough. It is not enough, and the spell-blade knows it. Thus, he stays his hand, and he attempts to relax as his skin begins to tingle. He looks down bemusedly at his palm, where the rune has so recently been drawn. "What was that?" he asks, voice still soft. Surprisingly, all of the normal harshness in the elf's voice is gone, as if this nacent wonder has robbed his normally sharp tones of all of their keenest edges.


Talyara offers the elf a smile that extends past her lips and to her eyes. She speaks softly, holding Emrith's gaze, "The other night Lanara and I conjured a sacred circle where we asked our God and Goddess, as well as the elements whom we also respect and worship, to give us some protection for our coming assignments and the war. I gave you some of the protection that they gave me..."


Emrith looks pensive, leaving his hand where it lies on the table. "What form will this protection take? Have you any idea? Also, will the rune fade?" Emrith looks pointedly at his hand, which still seems to bear the faint glimmer of the rune-shape on his skin.


Talyara catches her bottom lip as she contemplates how to answer his questions. "It acts as like an invisible barrier. You might not see it but it's there." She pauses for another moment. "It will act like an extra shield if you will." She chuckles softly as Emrith mentions the rune. "Aye it will eventually fade, it is not permanent like mine." As she speaks this she up turns her wrist next to the elf's palm showing her black inked rune tattoo.


Emrith favours the witch with a brighter smile than before. "I thank you, Talyara. I have dangerous business to be about rather soon, and any extra defenses are appreciated. I will not rely on them to save me from death, but will probably be grateful when I am attacked. I was told in my youth that the man who relies too much upon his shield usually dies with that broken shield still clutched in his fist. I think they are words to remember, and I will endeavour to do so. I am, it would seem, accruing a substantial list of debts to you. Were you the malicious sort, I would fear for my safety." he chuckles, and the laugh is as musical as any sylvan expression of delight could ever be.


Talyara's smile brightens more upon hearing his laughter and shakes her head. "You should smile more, it suits you well...and I can promise you I am not malicious, I believe in karmic repercussions. Whatever I put out into the universe will come back to me times three. It is the law in which I live by." She runs her fingertips along the grains in the wooden table. "If you would like, I can keep my form of protection around you throughout this whole ordeal."


Emrith is always one to count the costs, and so it is not precisely unexpected when his laughter tapers off and he asks, "At what cost to you? You are, after all, asking whatever magic you favour to protect me. if you believe in the balance of all things, what is it that will suffer for my protection? Am I understanding your craft correctly?"


Talyara shrugs her shoulders. "I cannot say, for I do not have the answers. Everything is made of energy, yes? We all have the ability to transform that energy to our will. Whether it be for protection, malice, friendship, love, and so on. We manipulate said energy to do our will. We put our intentions within that energy manipulation and let it run it's course. However, I do not believe any harm will befall me for sharing some of my protection with you."


Emrith nods hesitantly, and remains silent, pondering what Talyara has said. Of all the countless forms of life in the world, perhaps there are some who will suffer for what has been bestowed, but Emrith is an elf, and knows well that lives are lost, wounds taken and harm done all the time. One cannot even walk across a forest glade without interrupting the lives of multitudes of insects, for instance. "Very well," he finally replies. "I suppose it is enough that no serious harm will befall you or anyone else...unless, of course, fate plays us a mean trick." Suddenly all business again - and apparently excited about whatever has occurred to him, given the gleam in his eyes - Emrith dips a hand beneath his cloak and comes out with an emerald; it is in every way the twin of the one now worn on a chain round Talyara's neck. "I should have mentioned this earlier. The emerald I have in my hand is precisely like yours. If it shatters, you will know. I will try everything I can not to crush it without cause, but if it breaks, you will know that I am in trouble. If you feel a sudden and unexplained pain shoot through your head, likely from the back of your skull to the front, that will be your signal. If this happens after I depart for my dangerous business - and you will know when that is, I promise you - then it means I have been captured. You must let those in power know that I have been taken. I will not be able to contact you or communicate in any way, and will likely need help in escaping. But here I would have you mind me very well, Talyara. Do not act immediately. Wait at least a day before you seek aid or inform anyone, just on the off chance that a false alarm has been raised. I am an important figure, and am likely to not be killed out of hand even if the drow capture me. I may be forced to defend myself, and my emerald may be inadvertently destroyed. If you feel it break, and I do not return within a day or so, then you must let my kin know that I have been captured."


Talyara runs her hand through her hair, an anxious habit of hers from when she was young, and tangles her waves further. She reaches forward and gently touches the emerald with her fingertip. Despite all of what he has just said, the first question to jump from Talyara's lips is a frivolous one. "What made you choose emeralds?"


Emrith chuckles again, that musical sound contrasting rather strikingly with his stern-looking countenance. "To be honest, I had emeralds handy, and did not feel up to searching out better stones. In future, if I learn more of gemcraft in general, I will likely choose specimens more intrinsically linked to this sort of connection. Emeralds may not have been the best choice. I can only hope they do as they are intended to do."


Talyara smirks and feels her face begin to flush in spite of herself. She turns her face and attempts to curtain her hair so he wouldn't see her slight blush. "My herbal knowledge comes in second compared to my wisdom of stones." She bites her bottom lip to hold back a chuckle. "It just so happens the emerald is sometimes referred to as the 'Stone of Successful Love'..." She pauses for a moment. "It's also a good for mental clarity and an all around healing crystal."


Emrith feels his own cheeks colour slightly at this revelation. "Successful love? I had no idea." He clears his throat, looking abashed. "I...hmm. I hope that I have not given an inappropriate impression." He looks away, then back at Talyara. "It is not that I do not find you fair enough to look upon. And you are open, friendly, playful in a way that most people of my acquaintance do not seem to be. But I hardly know you. If I have given offense or confusion by entrusting you with a stone for which you interpreted meaning I did not attempt to put there, I cry your pardon." He still looks a bit flummoxed; Emrith's knowledge of gems is, to say the least, lacking.


Talyara covers her mouth with her hand as she cannot hold back her laughter now. She shakes her head and waves him off with her free hand. “No, no, I did not take it to heart, I just found it rather amusing is all…of all the stones…” She bites harder on her lip to stop her laughter. “Although, those are probably the nicest things anyone has ever said to me…” The young witch flushes a deeper shade of red, not used to compliments. “There is no need to apologize." Talyara clears her throat. “The emerald, will aid you in your mental clarity, like I said, which will be good for when you are out doing your dangerous tasks. It is also beneficial to balance between the mental and physical which will also be imperative for you.”


Emrith looses another chuckle himself, and sprawls backward in his chair, definitely less tense than in moments past. "I speak truth as I see it, unless it suits my purpose to lie. It does not, and even when I lie, it pains me. I try to only tell an untruth to a foe, or a suspected foe, in the interest of ridding myself of whatever impediment they represent." He seems to have returned to a matter close to his heart when he continues, "As for clarity, you are correct. I am a spell-blade; most of my training is with weapons, but I have some very small use of magic. Rather than the brute force of a larger man, the divine favours of a paladin or the typical heavy weapon and shield of the knight, I favour precision, keen strikes, speed and finesse. I must keep both my physical and mental attributes honed to a knife-edge, lest I make a fatal mistake at an inopportune moment. I am not made of steel; when I am bitten, I bleed."


Talyara reaches down to her hip and unties a pouch, placing it on the table. She fumbles with the straps and reaches in, placing her worn deck of cards next to her book. She then upturns the bag and several stones tumble out, bouncing across the table. The witch plucks up a dark orange one and extends it out to Emrith. “This is carnelian. I think it will prove to be invaluable to you. Not only is a great psychic enhancer, which will assist in honing in on your magical abilities, but it is a healer as well as an overall protection stone.” She raises her gaze to meet him and fixes him with a piercing stare, her green doe eyes, unblinking. “Promise me you’ll keep this on you when you while you are gone?”


Emrith reaches out and tentatively touches the carnelian. He has only rarely seen stones like this; elven smiths sometimes set them in jewelry, but not being one for jewelry in the normal course of days, the spell-blade usually has only seem them in passing. "I will," he says, and picks up the stone. He holds it in his cupped hand a moment, before making it disappear into one of the capacious inner pockets of his cloak. "And I thank you for the gift."


Talyara gives Emrith a curt nod before allowing her muscles to relax slightly. “Thank you,” she says softly before plucking up the remainder of her stones and dropping them back in her pouch, followed by her deck of cards, which then get tied back up by her hip. “I cannot protect you with bow or sword, but what I can offer is the stone and that,” she extends her finger to point to the fading outline of the protection rune on the palm of his hand. “That is the type of protection I can give.”


Emrith nods his head in response to the witch's words, watching her stow her gear. "Any protection is better than none at all. And saying that makes it sound as if your offering is paltry. It is not, and I assure you that I do not see it so. If what you have rendered ends up saving my life, I will forever be indebted to you, and regardless of the outcome of my mission, I will never forget what you have done here this evening."


Talyara returns to her normal chair tipping, almost toppling over. She grabs onto the table quickly to keep her balance. “You seem to think I am keeping a score sheet. I assure you, I expect nothing in return and I am content with that. Although, I would much rather you return unharmed.” She tilts her head to the side, pondering for a moment. “And you should smile and laugh more. Despite the severity of what is soon to come, for your mental health, I feel you need to do something for enjoyment. Remember, life is all about balance.”


Emrith gazes levelly at Talyara for a long moment, letting the silence spool out between them. "Balance, as you say. It is my hope that a few months of resolve and hard focus will result in many a long century where the greatest worry will be one's choice of game for one's table, or whether to wear blue robes instead of green to a feast. War demands my attention, my focus, my everything. If I am devoted to it now, it means that the balance will come due when war is done. Then I can be who I wish to be. I can relax, unwind, smile and laugh more, as you say. Before then, I simply do not dare."


Talyara leans her elbow on the table, cradling her cheek in her hand. “I understand but you smiled before, you laughed this evening, even if it was just a moment. And the world didn’t end.” She shrugs her shoulders slightly, “But what do I know?”


Emrith said to Talyara, "I did, yes. But what if, at that very moment, a drow had stepped through the door and shot me in the throat? Who would have laughed then?"


Talyara said to Emrith, "Maybe I would have jumped in front of it."


Emrith said to Talyara, "And then you might have died. Whereas if I had been concentrating, alert, I might have noticed the string being drawn, and might well have had time to dodge...or at the very least get a hand in the way. No, I cannot be vigilant at all times, but nor does it pay to be lax. That is all I am saying."


Talyara sighs and lifts her shoulders in defeat. "Fair enough, it was only an observation of mine." Talyara gently rolls the emerald dangling from her necklace in her fingers.


Emrith sighs a little himself, and shrugs, a slight surrender. "In all circumstances but these, I would agree with you. And in theory I agree with you anyway. But it is practice in which we do not agree. If I should ever save my own life, or someone else's, because I was intent upon my senses instead of relaxing them...if that happens even once, I will consider it worth the headache of being on guard all the time. For now though," he finishes, standing and stretching some life into his lithe frame, "I have a patrol to run and a report to oversee. It has been nice to speak with you. I hope to see more of you in coming days, Talyara. Long days and pleasant nights to you."


Talyara looks up at Emrith as he stands and stretches and states his goodbye. Her sweet smile pulling once again at the corner of her lips is offered as parting gesture. “You as well, Emrith. Please be safe.” She pulls her book towards her once again and points down to the page that they had been discussing earlier. “And I will get to work on this.”


Emrith notes the woman's sweet smile, and it does lighten his heart a little to see it. He gives her a twitch of the lips, a smile of his own, though it is somewhat belied by his tense posture and readiness to depart. He nods once, in the direction of the book, turns gracefully, waves a hand back over his shoulder, and vanishes southward into the dark.