RP:Vaidhe Arrives in Rynvale
Port Rynvale
The city as a whole was enjoying what originally had been looking to be a sleepy transition from day to night when a gold dragon from a far off land decides to pay the area a visit. The city, on edge from previous attacks and a very hostile population of dragons to the north, response warily, waiting to see what would happen.
Vaidhe :: Far above the island of Rynvale, a small shape glides in the dusk. Its miniature appearance is more a testament to its distance from the ground than to its actual size as it plies the gentle air-currents and gazes with great golden eyes down upon the lands and settlements beneath it. The great dragon, Vaidhe, has flown far to reach this place, and now that he has spotted the telltale signs of habitation, not to mention sensing the occasional trace of living dragons, his curiosity has been firmly caught. Nonetheless, the great gold realizes that furtive behaviour, if it is noticed, might be seen as altogether too threatening, and thus he makes an effort to show himself as an unthreatening creature. His first gesture in this charge is a clumsy right wing-over, executed far more sloppily than is his normal wont but still eliciting a thrill as his body heaves into a sideways roll far above the ground. Once righted, he opens his jaws, being careful not to loose a torrent of fire, and issues a formidable bellow, a long bugling cry akin to the magnified trumpet of an elephant, avoiding a roar which might signal an airborne onslaught. He shouts again, now tucking into a steep dive, all the while gazing down toward the lights of a city just after sunset and waiting for whatever reactions may result.
Ranok || It was a sleepy night in Port Rynvale. Or, as about as sleepy as it got. Lights were flaring bright even as the sun was setting. People would be heading to bars, bed, or the comfort of their homes, whichever to their taste. Save for, perhaps, the unlucky sods who were standing watch. Even as the light was failing, in its dregs, the sharp eyed elven soldier on watch was completely and utterly *not* paying attention. Not at first anyways. Thoughts of going down to the pub to flirt with the ladies when his shift ended were dancing through his head. Unseen was Vaidhe's aerial acrobatics by nearly everyone. Segmented populace catch a glimpse here and there, but really, what cause does a citizen have to look up? Especially as the sun was setting? Precious few were, and even fewer were inclined to do something about it. But, then Vaidhe announces his presence. The man on watch jolts up, startled out of his reverie. Looking around, "What in Sven's left testicle was that?" His buddy, who had been boredly flicking cards into a helmet stuck on top of a barrel, was looking up too, a card in his hand forgotten, "Blimey. Hell 'f I know." Both men were looking up and around. In the failing light it was the hardest to spot things, the shifting playing tricks. The buildings didn't help. All across the city, similar actions were being performed. Watchmen were jolted out of a nice, boring evening to wonder what was bellowing over the city. Nothing overly alarmed, yet, but attention had certainly been caught, if only for a short while. One always knew how it went. Funny noises are easily dismissed if they only happen once.
Vaidhe continues his dive, steepening it slightly so as to hasten his progress toward the ground. By this point, the golden dragon's bulk should be fairly visible to those below, Vaidhe being a creature just into his middle years and thus of formidable length and girth. People begin to swell into shapes greater than specks beneath the beast's scrutiny, though individual details of each are still hard to make out. With a great unfurling of his wings, Vaidhe snaps out of his plunge and hurls himself over onto his back, generating a great updraft which buffets past him on both sides. He starts a holding pattern from this position, flying in a fairly even circle a goodly distance above what appears to be an open square, more than high enough to avoid damaging anything below but easily low enough that his phenomenal wingbeats, not to mention the occasional draconic cry of pure joy, can easily be heard by those nearby. With his back to the ground, the dragon can no longer see what passes below him without craning his neck, but he is, for the moment at least, confident of both his abilities and of the benevolence of this city's inhabitants. He is more than ready to react if something untoward should happen, but for the moment, Vaidhe simply wishes to declare himself, to make clear the pleasure he takes in being free and good and of the world once more.
Ranok || It was about then that the alarm bell started ringing. Dragons were taken seriously in the city. Sitting so close to the Dragonplains, which very much lived up to their names, made them a constant problems. People were killed by going unprepared there, and the area as a whole was avoided by anyone with any sense in them. The caravans traveling on the road to the Bazaar usually hired guards to try to ward them away. Often with limited success. No matter Vaidhe's benevolent intention, no one save him had the intention of knowing for certain. Sick ferals were known to behave oddly before snapping into a fury of breath and claw. There were agents of anarchy, seeking to take advantage of a weakened city. There were those that just did it for the evulz. There were no risks taken, not at this scale. Watch fires begin flaring brightly. The city was stirring. No attacking, not yet. The first step of handling a dragon on the book was to chase it away. This generally meant warning shots and the like, but Vaidhe was too close to the ground to risk firing them off purposely to hit nothing. Luckily, (half ways, anyways), there was a contingent of fliers donated by the Eyrie in the city, and they were more then enough to handle any single dragon. They were beginning to suit up, so to speak, to fly out and issue a 'you are in my territory' challenge to the gold over the city. More often then not, that single challenge was enough to chase most ferals out. They might have been beasts, but ferals were wily, and the very large mounts, fed off of a constant source of meat, very *quite* big. However, the order to simply chase it off was halted. Then changed. A sick dragon had potential use. A friendly one even more so. The order was to force it to the ground, instead. Since Vaidhe was over the open square in the dead center of town, that was chosen as the target to aim for. Within about 15 minutes of Vaidhe's acrobatics, the frost dragons were on wing and heading towards him, flying high to flank from above and nip him to the ground if needed. Ranok himself, the very man the order change came from, was heading to the center of town as well.
Vaidhe is perfectly positioned to see the contingent of frost dragons approaching from above and either side. Being careful to angle his snout directly skyward so as to do nothing more than warn his foes away, the gold dragon unhinges his jaw and belches forth a huge pillar of fire, an unvoiced but perfectly clear warning for the approaching creatures to hold their ground. Given their proximity to him, it is unlikely that any will be hurt unless they are attempting the foolhardy endeavour of diving toward Vaidhe's exposed belly, in which case a bit of a roasting will probably do them some good for their arrogance. This massive creature has contrived his plan well, and will not be needlessly harried. Having made his intentions clear and also rendered plain that he will not be forced into action on someone else's terms, Vaidhe performs a somersault, a lazy and sinuous motion of his long body and tail, before angling his head toward the ground and splaying his forelegs. He lands with a tremendous thud in an empty part of the square, and immediately appears lost in a billowing cloud of dust. This detritus, culled from the ground and surrounding environs by the dragon by the simple expedient of a little focused wind and the exertion of his will, serves to shield him as he transforms, creating a momentarily unpierceable pall about the square before dissipating. In place of the huge dragon which had previously landed on the paving-stones there now stands a huge and well-muscled form, gazing about with a grim smile and large eyes. His eyes eventually fall on Ranok; suspecting that this man is a figure of some importance, Vaidhe addresses him in a low, rumbling voice: "Very good! Very good! Your people are brave and your defenses sound. It seems that you have need of both, but not on my account."
Ranok || The Frost Fliers, as they were wont to be called, were more then a match for Vaidhe. Elemental differences aside, it was simply impossible to engage all three at the same time. And, if Vaidhe struggled hard enough to fell them, there were *more*. Ranok simply didn't believe in overkill to the degree that sending the entire force residing here and there after a single and, so far, harmless dragon. Their entire goal, as per orders, was to put Vaidhe on the ground and keep him there, as any dragon would know is *the* most vulnerable place to be when your opponent is still airborn. Vaidhe neatly accomplishes this for them, making them rather redundant. The dragons were snappish after Vaidhe's display of breath weapons, but their handlers and riders calm them down. As the gold dragon was on the ground and shifting, they opt to hold in a loosely wheeling circle over the square. The alarm stops ringing, too, but the watch fires do not tamp down. The city would be on the edge of its seat for the rest of the week. Random, unannounced dragon visits tended to do that to people. Ranok wasn't on the scene quite yet, but soon would be. Impressive as always, the smith turned leader took a shortcut: a griffon borrowed for the swift trip, another loaner from the Eyrie. He really did mean to give them back one day, but first he'd need something capable of matching their usefulness. So far, that was mostly in development. The flutter of wings and the click of claws on cobblestone and he lands on one end of the square. Guards, nervously armed with poleaxes, were edgy and filing in here and there. Ranok's entrance didn't do much to calm them, but they were good men. They'd stay back until Ranok told them to come forward. And so, Ranok steps into the square proper. Standing at seven feet tall himself, he was an imposing figure indeed, save to, perhaps, those of his equal height. He was broad of shoulder, too, the gift of a life of soldiering and smithing combining with his height to form a functional twin to Vaidhe's own chosen avatar. Clad as he always was; a well worn duster, snazzy hat, and flashes of bone white armor where the duster laid open. He was accompanied by a trio of brilliantly bright electric blue motes of light, each burning steady and as bright as a candle. Boots make precious little sound on the cobblestone, enchantments muffling the passage of his feet and his feet only. Duster spreads out behind him even beyond what residue winds that Vaidhe had summoned like it possessed a mind of its own. And gray eyes flashing at the other man before him. An eyebrow lifts, slight, as Vaidhe speaks. A hand goes up to touch the brim of his hat, "Hm. Indeed. So it seems. Might Hy be de first to velcome hyu to Rynvale, den? Hyu vill hef to forgiff de response. Dragons flyink into our airspaces makes pipple jumpy. Especially since Vuryal hes seen fit to reviff a bunch uf radder dark dragons. Ve don' take chances, if ve hef a choice. Dese gentlemen are merely doink der duty. Make no hermful moves, und ve'll hall be alright. Now den." He gestures out to the edgy guards. None of them seemed hostile, just...edgy. Vaidhe could be a plant, an illusion, a mage of great power. All these had happened before. Ranok puts one hand lightly on the hilt of his sword, in the manner a man would put his hand in his pocket. Just to rest it. "Might Hy ask vy hyu've decide to pay us a visit, Herr...?"
Vaidhe stands his ground as his eyes rove about the square, noting the guards and others present, conning the area for paths of escape should such be required; he rather doubts that it will come to this, but it is always a wise man's aim to be prepared for any eventuality. Vaidhe notes Ranok's thick accent with curiosity, listening to him intently and nodding with silent politeness as he speaks, expressing his understanding for the high-alert status which has led to the reception he received. In response, Vaidhe says only little: "When there is need, my kind sometimes feels it. I am here thus, though I do not know the need itself. I am no harbinger of evil, no threat of terror except to those who would throw the world out of true. I am Vaidhe, in this tongue, and come not only in peace but with the hope to help in my heart. If you will have me, you need only ask, test or otherwise prove me where I might be best utilized."
Ignatius said OOC, "Its not that neat. something about carpet surfing, never needing to get dressed again because I found a shop online that sells them with hoodies attached, Satoshi overheats because of reasons."
Ranok doesn't begrudge Vaidhe his scoping of the place for avenues of escape. Of which there were few. Guards, curious citizens, and people coming into the square to see the commotion. Standard stuff, really. Human nature didn't change, and elves liked a good bit of gossip as much as the next humanoid. Fairly soon, the guards were less there to handle Vaidhe then they were to handle the crowd. People were nudged along, and the crowd broken up as fast as it could be created. The low lifes of a city thrived on those sorts of crowds. Pickpockets and purse snatchers alike. And in the darkness? Perfect targets. The guards knew this, which is why it was broken up. Ranok paid all this no heed. A hand extends in a slight gesture, "Hy assure hyu. Hyu're qvite safe here. If you veesh iz to leaff, hyu but hef to say. Men vill escort hyu to de eksit in de kity uf you choice und ve kan hall part vays peaceably. Hyu hef my vord on dat." And that was the truth. Pointless stupidity like molesting a dragon when he was playing ball with you didn't rank at all on Ranok's list of 'things to do'. Vaidhe's introduction of himself was regarded with another nod of his head. "My name iz Ranok De Zard. Hy em kurrently de General uf de Army uf De Fold, und represent de last koherent organization left in de kity. Hall dis," A hand gestures to indicate pretty much everything, "is due to hostile intentions by de Empire uf Archamosia, among odder tinks. If you veesh iz truly to help, it'd be qvite velcome. As far as test, vell. Hm. Hy'd hef to tink on a goot vay to do dat." He already knew a vast number of the ones to be performed. Anti illusionary spells. Anti polymorph spells. Along those lines. The 'illusionary army' trick only ever worked once, and Ranok was extending that to everything else, too. Those test would be subtle, however. No need to outright say to Vaidhe 'we are suspicious of you'. "Vell, no time like de present. Iz dere zumvere else hyu vould like to talk, or shell ve kontinue to chat here in de sqvare?" Test number one, and a gesture of small trust. As Vaidhe decided, he waved over a guard to put a scrawled message into a small pouch on the griffon he rode in's neck. Another order for the fliers above. The guard complies, and then smacks the griffon on the hindquarters. The beast was well trained, and takes off back to 'home', where the orders would be received and then spread. In about another twenty minutes or so, the wheeling dragons would disperse, spreading out over the city in random patrols. Another small measure of trust. Nearby, but not enough to make Vaidhe feel cornered.
Vaidhe spreads his hands and lofts them in an "over to you" gesture, deliberate nonchalance displayed as a test of his own. "If you trust your citizenry, we may talk wherever you wish, under the open sky. If you feel that what we discuss might be sensitive, then let us find a more peaceable place beyond prying intent. I have heard in passing of this Empire of which you speak, but news in high places is often thinner than the atmosphere." He utters a low and grumbly sort of chuckle. "This is yours," he indicates the area with a wave of one massive hand, "and I do not presume to make your choices for you. I will accommodate you as I may until such time that I feel unduly exploited or threatened; if that happens, I will react accordingly, but until it does, I trust that it will not." Vaidhe is aware that a display of such passivity might seem cowardly, but also knows that in a first meeting, a display of respect without grovelling is often the best way to impress a would-be accomplice. He takes one or two slow and shambling steps toward Ranok after speaking, eyes now locked on the man's face as if awaiting his response.
Ranok glances over his shoulder. Some dumbass pickpocket was being picked up and roughed a little. He tried his luck and failed. He'd be dealt with in time by the guards. "Trust...? Vell." To be frank, to 'trust' any large population was foolish. People were panicky, selfish creatures on large scales, and crowds only made it *worse*. Trust that they wouldn't bumrush the dragon and smith? Yes, probably. He locks gaze back onto Vaidhe. "First meetinks hain't to be heavy hearted, yah? It iz ven men get to know de odder, do de judgink. Dat sort uf tink. Not sure if dragons do it different." Right hand taps the hilt of his sword as he ponders, "But Hy'm not really a bar type sort uf man. A valk, den." No real reaction from the smith as Vaidhe approaches. What precautions to be taken were already done. Those lights blazed steadily, the duster billowed gently, and weapons were in open display. A sword cut both ways, and Ranok was confident he could hold off Vaidhe long enough for more solid plans to form if needed. Ranok waves in a direction to the south, indicating what direction this walk would entail. He made no judgements about Vaidhe's willingness to bow to the men who were trying to protect their cities' wishes. It was not a sign of weakness, after all, to be polite. Especially when, should you decide to snap, you could take out large numbers of men before going down yourself, if at all. Politeness cut both ways, too, and the guards and the like were paying it back in kind by not threatening the dragon that had come to them bearing a wish to help.
Vaidhe looks where Ranok is looking as he speaks, then nods his head. "A walk, at least, keeps us in motion. If any wish to eavesdrop, they will likely have to follow, thus making it easy to spot them." He turns slowly and begins to move, a steady, ground-eating stride, expecting that Ranok will fall in next to him ere long. "Sometimes I wish that my mind was not so keen. It would be easier to live in ignorance; but alas! a life of ease is not for my kind. Perhaps if I were white, I could live in snow-mantled cliffs and dine on the foolish, but I am what I was born to, and I make the best of it. As do all of us who fight the good fight, as goes the saying." Another rumbling chuckle.
Ranok matches Vaidhe's stride easily. Not often that he met someone his size or thereabouts on amicable terms, but there it was. "Dere iz liddle need to vorry uf eavesdroppers. Dis time uf night, de krowds mostly vant to head into de bars to drink avay der voes. Und Hy never discuss heavy hended matters in public. A schtundard practice." Never would he understand the people that just talked about assassinations and the like in Kelay Tavern. Oh well. Those people were stupid; he was not. Arms lock behind the small of his back as he walks, much like a soldier at rest, "Ignorance may be bliss, my friend, but ven de vorld begins to krash down, Hy prefer to know vy. Perheps Hy kannot helt it, perheps Hy kan, but it iz alvays goot to know vy." Those lights were floating along after Ranok, a third, silent sentinel to their walk. No obviously magical nature about it, save beyond the fact that they were lights floating in midair with no source and followed Ranok around. Beyond that, they were just...there. A hand scratches a bearded chin, "Fight de goot fight? Zumddink like dat. Are hyu familiar vith military service? Fought de goot fight at zum point?"
Vaidhe shakes his head solemnly as he continues to keep abreast of Ranok, those floating lights given only the barest glance at one point or another. "Military service? No, not as such. I am no strategist, though I have lived for many a hundred-year and my mind has not yet dulled with age. I have seen much, and know much, so I might be capable in the military, but I am as yet unqualified there. I have fought the good fight in other ways. Far in the past, for instance, I was honour-bound to destroy a village quickly being overrun by a taint, but I did not stop there; I found the source of the taint and slew her as well, ensuring that her blight ended on that day. It was sad to kill, but needful." Vaidhe once again goes silent, awaiting Ranok's rejoinder.
Ranok neutrally says, "De life in de military hain't for hall men, dragon or not. Hy suppose hyu vouldn' hef been. Dragons tendink to be solitary powerhouses und de like. Burnink a village, hyu say? Vat kaused hyu to belieff dat such vas necessary? A korruption may schpread, but as henny goot doctor knows, amputation kan be used to saff a patient, even if dey may be diseased." A sidelong glance. He didn't seem to be questioning the validity of the story, but the reasoning behind it.
Vaidhe thinks of how to respond in as concise a way as possible, an explanation to put Ranok's questions to rest without going into too much detail. "The creator of this taint wished to amass a legion of the undead, thralls to do her bidding. By the time I arrived, most of the townspeople were already bound heart and soul to their new mistress, and if I had waited much longer, raids on neighbouring villages would have resulted. This woman was unearthed from a sealed tomb by mistake by a team of miners delving into a hill; they could not have known what they uncovered, but I was merciful. I killed, but did not torture...not even the monstrosity who loosed the evil in the first place. I simply destroyed the threat, and then receded."
Ranok gives a slow nod. "Interestink." What facts on Vaidhe's character he gleaned from the gold dragon's story were kept to himself. For the moment, at least. "Und vat uf de rest uf her? No lich or necromancer iz viddout der books und artifacts. Such knowledge kan be useful in de proper hends. Kountermeasures, plans, konnections. Hall kould be hendy in furdderink de kause uf goot, kould it not?" His head cants slightly at the man that walked beside him.
Vaidhe shakes his head again, issuing a quiet sigh. "I was angered, Ranok. What she had, I decimated. Any instruments which could lay low a village should not have been let loose upon the world in any hand, I reasoned, and so I reduced them to ash and powder. I was younger then, mind you." He favours the other man with the approximation of a sardonic half-smile. "I am quite a temper when angry, but as I have grown older, I have grown harder and harder to rouse to true fury. Whosoever does will do it at great peril. In any case, I have many experiences to go on, and one is never too old to learn. Have you a great need that ought be filled? Have you a weakness whose exploitation you fear? Perhaps I could fill either, or both if they are one and the same."
Ranok gives a grunt of appreciation, or perhaps mere acknowledgement of Vaidhe's words. "Destroyed it hall, den, in a fit uf righteous anger. Interestink indeed. A champion uf chustice? Or perheps simple a man dat likes tinks in der place?" The question was more rhetorical, as he didn't wait for a response, "Hy know how de hyung und anger vork. Used to be like dat, too, in my hyunger days. De visdom uf age, eh?" He slows down to a halt. "Hy belieff ve've probably valked enough for tonight. Hy hef zum odder tinks Hy need to address dis evenink. Hy'll tink on zum matters, as vell." Avoiding the question of needs or weakness entirely, the man gives Vaidhe another somber nod. He likely felt like he'd gotten a good enough grasp of Vaidhe's character, or at least the front provided, to make a judgement. He was the careful sort, unlikely to simply hand out positions in such open ended interviews. "Ve'll schpeak later. Feel free to schtay de night in de townhouses, or eksit de kity. Tough if hyu do, Hy vould reqvest dat hyu do it vile in human form. No need to schtir de pot tvice vith a dragon flyink back out, yah? Accommodations kan be given for free if hyu vould take dem. Konsider it a gift und an apology for such a rough response to you komink."
Vaidhe stops in mid-step and turns to face Ranok as he makes to leave. "I have set up comfortable enough camp not too far from here. I will leave the city on foot, though your offer of hospitality is gracious and appreciated. I am used to sleeping under the sky, or within a cave, but not beneath a roof. Good evening to you. I will not be far over the next while, so it is doubtless that we will run into each other." With that, and a single agreeable nod, Vaidhe turns up a side-street and stumps off along it, meaning to exit via Marigold Bridge into the countryside beyond.