RP:Trust Among Comrades

Part of the Lies Within Us Arc

This is a Mage's Guild RP.

Summary: Demeter visits the Temporary Mage Guild HQ in Cenril after Caltarok reported his findings there. Though slow to trust, the avian finds herself coming around to the idea of camaraderie that the Guild offers.

Dilapidated Coral Castle, Cenril

Demeter had recently meet with her sky brother, not family by blood but to them they were kindred souls who accidentally on Caltarok’s account created a bond that grew more and more by the day. Hadn’t even been a month yet since he became her dragon making her a dragon rider to further protect each other, they loved each other as family which to any watching them would mistake it for more then what was really there. Demeter decided today was the day she would explore it, curious to see what she would find there. Not having made it back to the place she had for room a board, so she still had on the leather one piece attire from last night. Some dirt and crisp dried up blood upon the ankles of her heeled boots that gave the Lamashtian an extra two inches making the woman be a six foot two, fitting the nickname of tall one, tall woman, or even tall friend. Grey eyes looked around before she entered, the lion fur cloak upon her being enchanted to hide the wings, with an addition of mute so one could not hear the feathers rustling against the fabric. If one with keen sight or hearing, they would know what was underneath. Tattoos fill in with black, outline in crimson apparent all over the pale golden flesh. Scar running across her face. Underneath the lion head hood was many tight braids to keep hair out of her face while hunting or flying. It was annoying to hair blowing all over the place when flying same when hunting, last second a strand of honey hue could mess her aim up. The pyromancer slipped within the confine of what was told to her a castle, from the sight it was in some fashion. To her castle were made from stone and dragon bones, at least that was how Eldur was. Dragons were extinct in her lands, because of her people hunting them to use their flesh, really every part of the dragon. A battle in a way for which had the better fire talent, in the end her ancestors won. Only dragons left were tiny ones that were not useless other then pets or accessories. A love for the race was always there, and she felt the need to help protect them the same with their cousins. To her surprise Caltarok was a dragon, which made them believe that fate had seem fit for the two to meet.

Odhranos has spent the past week up to his neck in administrative hell. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t reflect on how little he had appreciated the work Brenwyn had put into the daily running of the Guild, and now that he had finally confirmed with his colleagues Brenwyn’s innocence, he only felt worse for it. “Yes, send the dispatch to the Eyrie, tell them we’re going to start moving supplies up to Frostmaw in the next fortnight, so their assistance would be greatly appreciated.” A scratching of quills is his only response and Odhranos presses his thumbs into his temples in an attempt to stave off the impending headache. “Everything alright, Archma-” Odh waves a hand before he lets that title land. “Yes, I’m fine. Fine. Just tired is all. Can we delay the rest of this til later?” Odh gives about a split-second for his colleagues to begin mumbling before clapping his hands together. “Wonderful. Time for tea, gentement.” Odh springs up from his chair and is out the door before anyone can stop him. Out in the main hall of the coral castle, Odhranos trots amiably across the sand-swept floor enroute to the kitchen, when he briefly has to shimmy around Demeter on his way. “Woops, sorry about that!” The terramancer skirts around behind her to get past before he pauses, turning about on his heel. “Can I help you? A visitor perhaps?”

Demeter looks over to the male that almost ran into her only having to shimmy at the last second, brow pinching together as she was about to say something to him when he took the moment to apologize. Closing her mouth as she took in his presence, turning her head to follow where he went to make sure he wasn’t staring at her from behind. She had never been here before making her guard be up high, her left hand reaches across her mid torso to grip the sword she keeps upon her right hip. Forgetting to dumb down her Icelandic accent, “Vis’or, hear’d ‘bout thi’ plauce fro’ muh brot’r, Caltarok.” Wrinkling her crooked L shaped nose from the many times been broken and not pushed back for proper alignment. “Vistor, my brother Caltarok told me of this place. Figured I would come and see it.” She had repeated, this time dumbing down her accent.

Odhranos notices the slight rattle of the sword at Demeter’s hip as he went, and he turned his head as he continued towards the kitchen. “I might not be able to see, but either your weapon has a mind of its own or you’ve got your hand on the pommel.” Odhranos points towards the blindfold covering his eyes and grins as he heads through the large archway. “There’ll be no need for it here. Trust me.” Inside the kitchen, he starts rattling through some pots and pans, opening the odd jar here and there. Moments later, he emerges with a large pot in hand that seems to be filled with an assortment of fruit. “Care for some?” The pot of fruit is offered as Odhranos heads towards the front door of the castle. “Any friend or brother of Caltarok is welcome here. I was talking to him less than a week ago actually. Lovely lad, has a real passion for his magic.” Odhranos yoinks the door to the castle open with his foot and turns back to face Demeter. “Join me on the steps? The weather’s lovely.”

Demeter blinks slowly, “I don’t know you or this place, I could have Eldur Elites here waiting for me to show. Can never be to cautious.” Demeter allowed her blade to slip back into rest, but her hand remained upon it. “No offense, I do not trust easily. Like I said, I do not know.” Spotting the fruit, she leans over sniff at them to see if there was any smell of poison present. Once seemed safe she reached over and tossed one up in the air catching it within her mouth. “I am a woman, his sister.” Caltarok showed him his magic? Following Odhranos to the door and outside sitting on the steps after he did. “I am a pyromancer, also a warrior. Or in my land I am a Tzur warrior.” Offering her hand out to him, when he does she would grip his forearm and give it a squeeze. Even if blind he knew where she was to not walk into her, “Demeter Viviane Alabaster, the Lamashtian from Eldur.”

Odhranos shrugs, who is he to deprive someone of their comfort while in an unfamiliar place? "I can understand the caution. Though it must get tiring on occasion, being taut as a bowstring day-in, day-out. I don't envy that." Odhranos plonks himself down on the front steps of the castle and gestures to the free space beside him. "Oh pardon me, let me sweep that for you." An idle flick of the wrist and the sand that had accumulated over the day springs lithely from the stone, hissing gently back onto the beach. When Demeter introduces herself, there is a lengthy pause as Odh looks up to where she stands before realisation hits. "Oh, pardon me." Odhranos extends his hand, presumably being grasped by Demeter. "Odhranos Kerrigan. Terramancer… Archmage." Odhranos grasps Demeter forearm firmly and greets her with a warm smile before letting go. "So, tell me; pyromancer and warrior. Would your count yourself a spellblade then? Or a conventional caster?"

Demeter chewed her lip, “I am use to it, where I am from there was always a fight within. Never know when someone decides they didn’t like the way you looked.” Demeter sat beside him on the same step, after he swept it using just a flick of his hand. “I can sorta do that but it involves a therma blast or gust. Sometimes causes a fire to create, I can pull heat from the air and or areas to increase it to cause a flame.” Eyes widen as he states his name, “Caltarok likes you, he thinks he may be able to trust you.” With that her hand left her sword, reaching over for another piece of fruit if the bowl was brought with him, “Just a caster I believe, it was norm to be a fire user and warrior. Terramancer… we had those in Ellia. Different kingdom, they were known as the best architects.”

Odhranos brightens when he hears Caltarok has spoken of him. "Ah! Well that is nice to hear. Cal is a talented young fellow. When this war is finally put to rest, I hope to have more opportunity to sit down and talk with him." Odhranos smiles as he plucks another morsel from the pot, mumbling happily when he discovers it to be a plum, his favourite. "That's quite fascinating. It still surprises me sometimes that in Lithrydel, mages are more often academics before they are warriors. Most of the world still holds strong ties between the arcane and the military, I forget that we are the exception rather than the rule." Demeter's comment about the terramancer's she is familiar with elicits a smile from Odhranos. "It's an inevitable cross-section between disciplines. Terramancy is one of the few magics suitable for more mundane construction, so I'm unsurprised that they branched out into architecture." Odh settles his chin in his hands and sighs. "I haven't touched a building project since the Eyrie's Larket outpost went down the loo. Along with the rest of Larket."

Demeter sighs, Cal was the like-able of the two of them. She always came off as a splinter in a staff that annoyed you to come around because of her bluntness and emotionless demeanor. “Yes this land is very different, more peaceful then Eldur. I am still having a hard time adjusting, I have made some surprising friends. Meri seems to be the most open about hanging out with me, same with Rilla. I only really got to see Kanna during the tournments, I hope to change that. Karasu has helped me with trying to contain the flame better. Vilgak and I do not get a long at all, he insulted me and called my ways barbaric. Quintessa is a dear as well, and so beautiful. Caltarok is my best friend, before we adopted each other per say. I am his wings when he is need of it.” Humming, “What if you could somehow make a gust or aura about you to send out and bring back to be your eyes? I guess since Caltarok is so found of you, I will tell you my secret.” She places her rough hand gently upon his, “Trust me.” If allowed she guide is hand underneath her cloak to wear he would feel soft as silk feathers, “I am a avian, cursed by a might necromancer. Feed my father cursed liquid that I suppose would be called poison. Reason behind this is he was the lead commander for the King of Eldur, I am from a royal nobility family that was honored to serve the high royal king. There was rumor the king and my father were brothers not sharing the same father but same mother.” When in truth, her true father was the King. “They called it the Lamashtu curse, which means feed upon youthful blood. If we do not, our wings wilt away. Rot off, and turn into a human. Get sicker easier than a human and die of aging faster. I am the last of my bloodline. I am hiding in a way and my guard up because the King wanted my head for not succumbing to the Lamashtu curse. It is how we got the Lamashtian name, as we aren’t worthy enough to be called avian. I swore to help the mage guild earn everything back they deserve.”

Odhranos leans back on his elbows, stretching out his back against the hard coral steps. "All I can say is give it time. From the sounds of it, you're making great strides. Not to mention you have chosen good people to adjust around." Odh turns his head to the side and the violet fabric of his blindfold shines in the sun, outlining the contours of his face. "Just be kind to yourself and give yourself the time you need to adjust. This is a strange and foreign land and culture shock isn't to be dismissed easily. I'm sure you will acclimatise before long." When Demeter suggests a means by which he could see, Odh breaks into a grin. "You're not far off the mark with your suggestion, actually. I suppose you could say I'm already using an aura of sorts. I can see material receptive to terramancy; stone, sand or metal. That's how I noticed your sword earlier; personal items like jewelery and armor are a great help for seeing people. But when all else fails, so long as I am standing on stone or earth, I can read footprints enough to get around fine." When Demeter begins divulging her secret, Odhranos sits up, feeling it more appropriate for the serious air of the conversation. When she guides his hand to her feathers, he raises an eyebrow with curiosity. It would seem that not only Caltarok is hiding his true nature. "What you say sounds something like vampirism, but I haven't come across a strain unique to avians before. Intriguing." Her comment on lending the Guild aid earns a serious but heartfelt smile from the terramancer. "Well, the Guild looks after it's own. Should you need our aid if this King proves an issue, then we will do what we must to protect you. We've lost too many good friends in these last months." Odhranos expression softens into a more grateful, open smile. "But I appreciate your willingness to help in the upcoming conflict. Truth be told, any allies we can muster are greatly appreciated."

Demeter | He grins again, he was friendly fellow. The man was already using something similar to what she suggested, her eyes softened. She did not pity him, or find him pathetic for what has happened to him, he was doing well without his sight. In place of it he gave himself his own new sight, sort of an upgrade. “So, If I wanted sneak up on you make sure I fly and not wear any metal.” She tried to joke, most of her jokes failed she was horrible at them the same with puns. His grin went to a smile, heart warming. “It can be close to it I guess, but I don’t constantly need it. I carry it in a enchanted flask so the crimson liquid does not go bad before I sip it.” Demeter looks down to the fruit, “I have never had friends before, never had anything. Love and friendship was considered a weakness, so it is all” paused “everything is a new learning curve for me. I am sorry-“ her voice strained as it was a word she was not ever use to using, and learning to use. “I can’t imagine how it is for you all to have those you care for lost, I don’t know this feeling.” A nod, “I am an allie and part of it, also part of Warrior guild.”

Odhranos laughs warmly. "If you had to, yes, that'd be the way to go about it. But I can hear as good as anyone else, so you'd want to have some fairly quiet wingbeats to catch me unaware." He chuckles good-naturedly, taking the joke in stride. "Though please, you don't need to apologize. It is my hope that in time, you will find that in our Guild, friendship and camaraderie are seen as a strength, but I am content to let time do it's work." A sad wave of emotion tugs at Odhranos' smile, causing it to dull slightly. "It comes with its price, the pain of losing those close to you is never one that is easy to bear… but I hope that if we succeed in regaining control over Xalious, then many of those that were beyond our reach can be returned to us. At least, we will be able to give time to honour those who we will not see again. I think everyone in this Guild needs time to mourn, but unfortunately time is not a luxury we have much of anymore."

Demeter gave a small smile, he thought her joke was humoring, score. “I’ll just glide, no flapping needed then.” Giving him a gentle bump, “Trust is good to have among comrades, so comfortable with his is behind and at your side in fights or training against others.” Noting his sadness, “Who all have you lost that are dear to you?” Tilting her head, “Do you have any that are missing by chance that could possibly still be there but alive?” Giving him a pat on the shoulder, “Have hope. Those that leave the body are still with us, and up to us to give them a wake to send them on to the after life. We build a burial stand of wood, and each person may place something that reminds them of the deceased upon the body. If can send them upon the water on a small raft and set fire. Then celebrate the memories and life that gave for the cause. Given two days grieving time to those that were close to them or family.”

Odhranos sits up and turns to face westward. "A good half of our Guild is still in Haladavar's clutches. His...cult... practice a ritual, whereby the soul of a mage is ripped from their body and trapped in a relic, granting the bearer the power of the soul-bound mage. I was only recently saved from that date myself, but there are countless others who weren't so lucky. I can't bear the thought of leaving them to that fate; it's abhorrent." The terramancer's fists bunch up in his lap. "Apprentices I knew from a young age, colleagues I worked alongside for years. Trapped in that madman's web." Odhranos grits his teeth then relaxes, letting his tension go with a long drawn out breath. "There is still hope. There are members of the Ossian Order; Haladavar's Guild, who are still loyal to us. They have been doing everything they can to keep the bodies of our soul-bound colleagues safe, kept suspended in a sort of half-life so that once we retake Xalious, their souls can be returned to their bodies and they can be revived safely. I just pray we're not too late." Odh turns to Demeter and graces her with a worried smile. "I can't lose anyone else. Not now that I know how to undo Haladavar's ritual. I need to get everyone home, alive and well."

Demeter brows lowered, “How does one even rip the soul from a body? Is the body even possibly able to live without a soul? If he takes the power from each mage, he is basically unstoppable then.” Taking another piece of fruit, and noting how his reaction was to a plum she took one out and placed it against his hand. “We won’t leave them that way, we will all figure something out together.” Plucking a feather from her wing offering it to him, “When ever write a spell, using a feather from an Lamastian supposedly can engrave it into anything. It will burn the words into the object writing them into. Just incase you need to mark his body with a runic, he will be marked permanently. Maybe using fire magic foreign to this land will help?”

Odhranos nods gravely. "It isn't possible. The body falls into a comatose state and unless the soul is returned soon, the body will perish. There are a number of mages in the Tower who have been hiding the bodies after the soul-caging ritual. They're little more than apprentices, but they're doing everything they can to keep those comatose bodies stable, sealing them with magic so time won't affect them, to give us more time to save them. As for how a soul is ripped from a body, well…" Odhranos' expression is gloomy. "Unfortunately, through the arcane, there is little that is truly impossible. What is fortunate though, is that we have the means of undoing the ritual." Odhranos accepts the feather from Demeter, along with the plum. "This could be very useful. Haladavar has no corporeal body to speak of, he himself is a disembodied soul, but one who has mastery over his own cage. Something like this might be the key to his undoing." Odhranos smiles gratefully, "Thank you Demeter."

Demeter listens carefully, “He would been the top of the hit list if he was doing anything like this in Eldur, to point he would eventually be matched if he kept taking our flames with our souls away. Only thing different if you all care about the bodies and reuniting the souls. It is a lost cause and put as they are the weak and deserve to perish. Eldur has no room for the weak, only the mighty and powerful. One time I witnessed a father training his son for only a week, thought him too weak so he slayed him and cast out his wife for not producing a strong heir for him. Like I said, this place is much safer.” When he said that the feather, she gave him could possibly be the key she was puzzled. “I am not the key to anything, but I will always be the flame to guide my guilds when needed. You all have taught my unyielding heart to care, maybe eventually I will learn to love someone. I promised myself to never love enough to want a child, I would not want to pass the Lamashtu curse along to a child. My true love is my sword.”

Odhranos grimaces at the description of Eldur's brutal treatment of those considered weak. "Safer, yes, but also stronger for it. There is much that one mage could not hope to manage alone, even one as strong as the Archmages of past eras. But put a hundred mages together, each one weak on their own, and you have a force that can move mountains and dry seas." Odhranos hooks his thumb over his shoulder at the castle behind him, a-bustle with apprentices and mages going about their day. "We are more than the sum of our parts. Where one stumbles, others lift them back up again." It warms Odhranos heart to hear that the people Demeter had met had had such a profound effect on her. "Then I hope that when that day comes, you find yourself happiness, Demeter. Sven knows we all need to at some point." Odh is about to continue when the door opens behind them and a polite cough comes from the bespectacled mage in the doorway. "Yes, Charlie, what is it?" Odhranos responds without needing to turn and look. "Sorry, Provo-uh, Archmage Kerrigan. The Magisters were wondering when you were coming back from your tea break? They wanted to get started on the deployment plan for Frostmaw." Odhranos sighs and hangs his head. "Never a break around here." He slowly gets up from the steps, turning to offer Demeter a hand up should she need it. "I'm afraid duty calls, I'll have to round off our chat here. But do please stay for a while if you'd like, and feel free to stop by again. We'll be here in Cenril for at least the next few weeks, then you'll hear from me when we're moving out to Frostmaw. May you have safe travels between now and then." With those parting words and a warm smile, Odhranos whisks back into the castle to the delightful administrative tasks that await him.

Demeter nods, “I would have to agree, if people were this close there then my father would surely gone down a different path and we wouldn’t had been so angry of a nation I believe. Better training too, I wouldn’t have a crooked nose or scars across my face making me ugly to the eye.” He was right, one is weak when not having friends to aid them. “Wait, so everyone here is a mage?” Demeter was somewhat late to the party it seemed, “I do not think I have one out there for me, and I am happy being alone, not tied down and felt forced to keep coming back to one spot I like being free. No ball and chain to hold me down.” Her voice faltered to silence as someone opened the door, “Be safe Odhranos, may our departure brings you peace and happiness on travels.” She stood not needing to take his hand, once all was inside she moves her wings to lift her and up into the sky she left.