Fantasy The Ebony Guard: Champions of Namira

[Chao5Th3ory]

"I think I need to go", he muttered as turned and swam swiftly to the edge of the bath and climbed out, grabbing his belongings and putting them all back in place without even bothering to dry off. He then began to walk in a faster pace than usual towards the exit of the bath house.


"I knew this was going to happen...", he said to himself without even looking back towards the others.

 

[Lain.Laurent]

Queen Ondell leaned back against the edge of the bath watching as Varick hastily put his clothes back on though as he made it to the door, the queen's two guards from earlier quickly raised their war axes barring his exist. She gracefully slipped out of the water walking up to him "You didn't just seriously refuse a question asked by the queen did you?" Her tongue did its familiar slide over her lips "Or is it because you simply do not know?"


"Maybe you should come and find me when you want to find out" She winked clicking her fingers in order to free his exit. Lord Rimédur came running with a towel for her to which she turned to Tayana after slipping herself in to it "Well we best be leaving, the humans seem restless, besides I think we have an appointment with a dear friend of ours..."

 

[Dreesirk]

"Astounding!" Norven shouted as the group reached the central bath. "I feel more alive already!" Norven began stripping off armor, eagerly tossing the steel aside with loud clashes and sharp pangs as the pieces landed in a pile. It took him several minutes to remove the entire suite. The woolen padding and cotton undershirt also quickly flew off, leaving him in nothing but his undershorts. With an eager yell, he rushed and jumped into the bath, immediately feeling all of the tension ease away. For a moment, he'd just slip right under the water and die a comfortable death right there.


"Come, friends!" He shouted, waving the others in, "It feels as if I've been born again. These elves are wonderful people!" The last comment drew attention from those few who were already in the bath. Norven didn't notice the angered glares they shot him, nor how they all edged a little further away.

 

[Maeve Valor]

When the Queen had asked Lord Rimedur about the surname he informed her that it was a common name among the Elven people but that was a long time ago. As of now there are no other Malwyns alive today. After that she heard him muttering to the Queen about the matter that she was unable to hear the next part. She found this bit of information interesting about the man named Varick though.


The both of them exchanged more words between them and then the Queen it was time for her and Tayana to leave for it seemed that the humans were becoming weary and stated that her and Tayana were to meet with "... a dear friend of ours."


A dear friend? Tayana furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity as to who she could be referring to and responded with, "Yes, my Queen." She too got out of the bath grabbing a towel along with her clothes that she was previously wearing as another male human jumped into the bath all too happily. She could not help but smile at this thinking humans are very sprite compared to most elves here as she followed Queen Ondell out of the bath house. This interested her more in human nature and how they act. Seeing them now made her think that maybe the Gods had made a mistake with her being born under the wrong race because of how she has always been a bit more outgoing that your normal Elf girl.

 

[maxacec]

Castien walked alone along the well defined streets of Tharna, deciding to not pay heed to Sarvi's words. 'I can't figure out what going on in that little head of hers...', he wondered as he walked quietly. Just thinking about Sarvi's comment had seemed to rile him back up. "The queen insulted our very existance,.....made a mockery of the things we can't control and looked down on those we can. Silly girl....", he muttered under his breath. He remembered stories he had heard from the Old man. How elves weren't much different from humans. They live longer yes, but it only takes a few extra months for an elf to give birth compared to humans.


It was a few minutes of walking before he glimpsed another living soul on the streets. It was rather unsettling for him to see the elves. 'So small, so fragile...', he thought as he saw what was a fully grown male elf lifting a heavy looking sack on his shoulder. The elves seem to generally lacks a muscular build and though some can be somewhat muscular, it was nowhere near as buff as Norven, Darvo and even Varick. Noticing that the elf was struggling, he walked up to the elf. "Are you okay? Do you need help that?", he asked as he helped support some of the weight of the sack.


"Ah, thank you, good man. These old bones are not as they were several centuries ago.", the elf said with a friendly cluckle though he weren't able to to see the help he was getting without letting go of the sack. "What's this you're carrying?", Castine asked from behind the man. "Tanned leather... I'm a Tailor, you see.", the elven man said as they kept walking.

 

[Lain.Laurent]

Sarvi nestled herself besides the waters edge wearing her towel while Norven splashed around in the bath highly thankful that the bitch queen had disappeared. Eventually she climbed back in to her clothes and walked to the waters edge "Hey! Norven! You want to come shopping? You too Varick! Castien?" She looked around but it seemed like he had never entered the bathing room.


"Thats strange..." She turned walking over to Lord Rimédur who was standing patiently by the door waiting for everyone to get ready to leave in order enjoy the wonders of elven shopping.

 

[Dreesirk]

Norven calmed down when Sarvi called his name, even though he was having the time of his life in the bath. "Eh, shopping?" He thought for a moment before smiling, "Sure, why not?" Norven reluctantly pulled himself out of the water before drying himself off with a nearby towel. He shook the last few droplets from his hair and began pulling his clothes back on.


"Ya know, I'm glad you had this idea, Sarvi. I needed a new dress for next time we talked with the Queen," be smiled and laughed.

 

[Chao5Th3ory]

Before Varick could exit the bath house Sarvi's voice calling for his name, and after a few moments of thought he looked over in her direction and replied. "I think that would be a good idea as well, especially with the kind of trouble we have had in the last few days so I think it would be in our best interest to find better weapons if possible."


He paused for a moment and turned his attention elsewhere. "I need a distraction right now anyway", he muttered to himself.

 

[Lain.Laurent]

Lord Rimédur stood by the door waiting for the Ebony Guard to get themselves ready to leave, Sarvi who was the first ready stood by Lord Rimdédur's side watching the others pulling back on their clothes. Once everyone was ready they were next lead through the city to the market place, a gathering of tall of buildings surrounding another intricately designed fountain made out of a substance that appeared to be white gold. Here there seemed to be shops for everything that one may desire, weapons, clothes, jewelry, food and a rather odd little shop selling some of the most intricately designed ornaments Sarvi had ever seen. Noticing a jewelry shop she frowned at the collection of emerald circlets similar to the one she had paid a fortune for back in Vall Hollow. It seemed she had been completely ripped off, the elves sold them rather cheaply.


Lord Rimédur lead them to the center of the market "Please, ladies and gentleman enjoy yourself, browse what we have to offer and I hope you all find something to your liking". As the group scattered Sarvi scanned the faces of the people who had set up stalls rather than own a building, each one had a rather cheery expression and seemed overly pleased as a member of the Ebony Guard looked over their stock. They seemed to harbor no hated towards them. Sarvi gave a little frown, it started to seem that Queen Ondell's dislike of humans was not an opinion shared by the general public. So why did she hate them so much?

 

[maxacec]

'A tailor? Working with tanned leather? Armors perhaps....', Castien thought as they walked on ahead past a rather busy marketplace, which stood out due to the time of day it was. "Is it always this busy in the evenings?", he asked as his eyes lazily scanned the marketplace. His eyes went wide as it landed on several familiar figures. 'How did they get here so fast ? Or did I take a longer route.', he wondered but the old elf's grunt pulled him back.


"Sorry, I wasn't listening.", he said as he turned his attention back to the elf he was helping. The elf chucked, "I was asking if you're not from around here.", the elf said, his chuckle could be felt reverberating through the heavy sack. "Oh, no. I'm not. I'm....", he paused for a moment, wondering whether or not he should reveal that he was an Ebony Guard. Remembering the queen's reaction, he decided not to. "I'm just passing through.", he said.

 

[Lain.Laurent]

Sarvi turned in order to inspect the contents upon the next stall when she spotted Castien talking to another elf to which she raised her arm in welcome "Hey Castien, over here! Check these out!". She waited for him to wrap up his conversation however she noticed an elf march hastily through the crowd and whispered words in to Lord Rimédur's ear. This new elf had the same cruel cold emotionless expression often worn by the queen. When he finally straightened up Lord Rimédur looked rather nervously through the crowd trying to spot the members of the Ebony Guard. Eventually he located and came to Sarvi's side placing a hand on her shoulder "Castien! Sarvi! I have been informed that you two shall follow me to your sleeping quarters, don't worry they are extremely lovely rooms in the west wing of the palace" He beamed "Tayana must of pulled some strings" he whispered under his breath. "Varick! Norven! You are to meet the Queen, guided by Lord Thalion the Queens private messenger". The cold looking elf took a swift bow towards the two gentleman. Lord Rimédur gave Sarvi and Castien a warm smile.

 

[Dreesirk]

Norven was delighted to find that the elven craftsmanship applied not just to their buildings but to their goods as well. He strolled up and down the market alongside the others, admiring the rainbow-dyed bolts of cloth and gem-studded jewelry many vendors seemed to peddle. At one point, he even happened upon a smith, admiring the man's quality. Norven contemplated purchasing a new weapon or two when Lord Rimédur called out to him and Varick. "You are to meet the Queen, guided by Lord Thalion the Queens private messenger," Rimédur said, motioning to another elf standing beside him. Norven sighed inwardly and bowed in return to Lord Thalion before turning to Varick. "Seems we're important enough for the honor, eh?" Norven laughed and made his way toward Thalion.


"Hail, friend! Please, do lead the way!" Norven smiled. Thalion curtly nodded, keeping a rather distant look on his face as he did so. Norven was unsure if he shared the same sentiments as his queen did. He certainly hoped not.

 

[maxacec]

"My place is just up ahead.", the elf said as the two walked towards the Market. They were right in front of the elf's shop when Castien heard a familiar voice calling out to him. "Hmm? Hold on. I'll be right over.", Cas replied. When the old elf heard, he stopped. Castien followed suit and the man began setting down the sack. "A friend of yours?", the elf asked sounding amused. Castien figured that it was because of the fact that Sarvi was a human. "Yes......we're travel together.", Cas replied as he assisted the old elf. As they set the sack down, the old elf turned towards him, his eyes widened as he saw Castien for the first time. "Y-you're a half-human ?"





At the man's reaction, his turned his eyes away, narrowed in disappointment. "I've never seen a Half-Human before. You look like a fine young man.", the elf continued. This time, it was Castien who had his eyes wide, looking at the elf in disbelief. "It doesn't bother you?....that I'm half-human?", Cas asked. "Why would that bother me?", the elf asked. "But when I met the queen....", Cas started to say but was cut off by the old elf. "Don't take what the Queen says to heart, boy. The queen is a lovely young lady and we all love her but she cannot let go of the past..... It consumes her and she has long since closed her heart to the other races.", the elf went silent for a moment, as if contemplating on what his next few words should be. "... But I've taken much of your time I'm afraid. Maybe you can visit my shop one day and I'll tell you about the queen.", the elf said with a warm smile before turning towards his shop. "Oh, and make sure you visit, I'll have a gift for you ready......to show my gratitude." Castien had wanted to protest but the elf insisted.


As the elf disappeared from view with the sack with who Castien assumed was the elf's wife, he turned his attention to Sarvi. He walked over to her and arrived just in time to hear his name called by the Lord Rimédur, whom he had seen in the castle earlier. After being told about the sleeping arrangement they had prepared for the, Cas couldn't help but sigh inwardly. 'Back to the Castle.....great.'

 

[Chao5Th3ory]

"I just can't get a break today" Varick said to himself as Norven began walking over to Thalion and followed him soon after. When he came side by side with Norven he looked over to him. "I don't think important is the word I would use" He said with a small smirk on his face. Then he turned his attention to the man named Thalion.


"I trust there will not be any trouble between us?" He asked the man towering above him. His reply was a slow walk in front of Varick with a menacing scowl on his face, his arms crossed as if trying to intimidate him. Varick just simply looked up at him and laughed. "Alright I get it big guy, you don't like me, so the sooner we get there the sooner I can get out of your hair". After a few moments of staring each other down Thalion eventually turned around and began walking forward, motioning for them to follow him.

 

[Maeve Valor]

After discussing important matters with Queen Ondell she was dismissed to do what she was sent to work in the palace to do, study and work. Tayana placed the book she was reading down on her desk in her study room where there was a stack of papers placed right next to where she set the book. Tayana sighed, boredom overtaking her. She hated being indoors, she knew that she had a calling to be out. To fight and travel for the civilians of Tharna, not in this study room looking through paperwork.To get such things off of her mind she walked out shutting the door behind her. Tayana aimlessly walked down a couple of halls in the palace and out down the stairs of the palace needing a breath of fresh air. In the streets walking more she looked to the sky at the never-ending number of stars, stopping when she heard voices. She followed the voices and turned a corner seeing the Ebony Guard at the bottom of more stairs.


Tayana smiled upon seeing them, "Fancy seeing you folks here. Thanks to you guys, I'm saved from looking through more paperwork." She joked and looked at each of their faces seeing that they weren't too pleased about being summoned by the Queen which changed her expression also to being serious. "Listen, I know none of you feel very... respected by the queen, but just know that she does not represent our people as a whole! Each individual makes their own path and has their own opinions. Even though Queen Ondell does not respect you all for giving your lives to the safety of others, I do and so do plenty of other elves in this city and that is what matters." To further her point she walked down the stairs and approached kneeling down before them with her head down, "Just please, do not let her words against you define our people."

 

[Thewarsword]

Abelard rode along, thinking of his home. His brothers training and sparring women with their uniquely tanned white skin... The feeling of air rushing by and the body moving so fast your mind cannot keep up.


But all his reminseing was cut short when he heard the dart tear past his cloak and pierce his skin. Abelard jumped off his horse and pulled the dart out.


He raced for the trees and seemed to disappear. He managed to climb one as the drug kicked in and he braced himself in the tree for a nap. He thought he could sleep undetected... He looked down and saw the elf staring up at him... His heart filled with dread.


He woke up behind bars in what he presumed to be tharna.

 

[Lain.Laurent]

Sarvi blinked rather confused as Tayana knelt before her and Castien to which she gave a rather nervous laugh "There is no need honestly!". Lord Rimédur gave a small smile "I am guessing it was you who had managed to pull the strings on arrangements, I would never of imagined Queen Ondell would allow them to sleep in the palace".


Lord Thalion marched with Norven and Varick in tow to a building at the very far back of the city, in comparison the buildings in this part though made with the same craftsmanship and smothered in it's usual purple wild flowers like the rest of the city, looked derelict and forgotten. Stepping inside what looked like a long forgotten temple the inside however seemed like nothing had changed. The walls shone a brilliant white while the walls were smothered in endless pieces of art work carved in to the walls themselves. In the middle of the room was Queen Ondell waiting for them to approach. "Isn't this a magnificent place?" She began walking over to them. "Probably my favorite building in the whole city". She gave Varick and Norven a rather pointy smile "We are collectors at heart and the Ebony Guard is a personal favorite of mine". Hitching up her dress she lightly jogged up on to what appeared to be a small podium of black marble "Back then the rulers of kingdoms wasn't a family thing, being a good ruler is not something you can inherit! The kingdoms were ruled by Ebony Guards as their protectors, they hold much of the honor and power in this land!"


Her eyes flashed at Varick and Norven "There was so few of you when you reached Tharna, but then I suppose many do drop out at the first hurdle. It's not a job for the weak willed but honestly you two are probably the only ones I have seen that might be worthy of holding such a title. That Sarvi girl is no good for the cause she is too soft and Castien gets too.... distracted. You two though... you two are perfect! I have to ask... why not just get rid of them, between the pair of you, you have all the power you need!"


She sneered at the pair placing her finger tips together walking over to Varick and Norven placing hands slightly on their shoulders "Elves have a habit of perfecting things, we have nothing better to do. We could also perfect the pair of you too... You would be vastly stronger and more powerful than any human. You know you want to crush your foes and save this land, so why make it hard when it can be made so easy for you". She licked her lips smirking "It is a gift we bestowed upon the first man to become a member of the Ebony Guard, and now i offer it to the pair of you..."

 

[Chao5Th3ory]

Varick stood there for a few moments staring at the ground in thought before eventually looking at her with a rather pensive look and decided to speak first. "Fine, you have a deal with me at least, but on one condition. Anything I ask of you or anything I need you will do without question." He then brushed her hand off of his shoulder and slowly walked up to her and stood within inches of her face and had a sudden look of hatred in his eyes. "And trust me, you do not want to stab me in the back, otherwise you will regret it with your life."

 

[Dreesirk]

Norven felt more at place as he followed Thalion, if only because the over-whelming grandeur of the city receded into a much more relaxed style. The temple they entered reminded Norven of some of the manors of the nobles back at Windell, he smiled at the thought before noticing the queen. "Isn't this a magnificent place?" she asked. Norven smiled in reply, "It is indeed, your highness. Beautiful in every detail." Norven kept smiling, thinking that the queen had taken up a change of heart as she continued to talk of the idealistic past.


Norven's smile faded when she began to speak ill of Sarvi and Castien and the others. A frown formed when she began to offer power. As she continued, creases of anger began to fold on Norven's forehead. He moved the hand away from his shoulder before speaking.


"Our comrades wouldn't have been chosen if they weren't good enough, your highness," Norven spoke with a hint of anger, though he tried to keep calm. "And I don't appreciate how you belittle them so. I'll admit that I don't know much about elves and your ways, but by human standards, they're some of the best we have." Norven began to grind his teeth together in anger at the offer of power, "You're too kind, your highness, but I'm afraid I'll have to honorably decline. If I'm to save this land and help those who live in it, it'll be of my own accord and with the help of my friends. So thank you, but no thank you."


Norven turned his gaze toward Varick as the man accepted the offer. "Varick, don't do this. Power corrupts. You don't need anything she offers." Norven clenched his fist, contemplating whether he should attempt to forcibly remove Varick and himself from the area.

 

[maxacec]

Castien's eyes widened when Tayana knelt before them. For some odd reason, he felt blood rushing to his cheeks as he looked away awkwardly. Not knowing how to react, he decided that it was best for him to head to his assigned room. Surprised that each of them had been assigned to individual rooms, Castien cautiously entered through the threshold, not knowing what to expect within the room. "Whoa...Its big...", he muttered.


The room was illuminated by an array of candles adorning each of its four sidewalls. The dim glow felt soothing, accompanied by a small open window overlooking the kingdom. As soft wind gently nudged the thin curtains covering the window, he saw glimpse of the view which persuaded him to approach the window. He looked out of the window for a moment, enjoying the brush of the cold night air on his face. 'Its beautiful.', he thought. It was the first time since they arrived that he had a chance to forget about everything and just enjoy Tharna for the beautiful kingdom it really was. He stood for a few minutes before deciding that he was going to call it a night.


With a covered yawn, he approached the side table located next to the large bed. On it was placed a tray upon which was an upside down glass and a jug. Pouring some of the contents in the glass, the liquid looked clear but the glow of the candle gave it subtly golden hue. He emptied the content, convinced that it was the best drink he'd ever tasted, before deciding to jump onto the bed. It was truly heavenly and he didn't want it to end but fatigue won in the end, sending his mind to a familiar scene.


/A sudden thud was heard behind him but he didn't dare to look for the source, instead his eyes focused on the spot where he could hear the angry growl. He felt a hard tug on his clothes and the next moment he was flung backwards. His vision was blurry but he could see a figure stumbling around, as if fighting off some invisible creature. He could only stare in disbelief. His breathing was jagged and his sides hurt from where he landed. He closed his eyes, hiding his face with his arms. The fight seemed to have been going on for awhile when suddenly everything went quiet. He could hear heavy breathing and slow thudding sound steps on the floor as the figure headed towards him. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see a boy. The dim lit house hid the boy's face in the shadow but Cas knew the boy was probably several years older than he was. "Caiden, are you okay ?", the older boy asked./


Castien found himself lying awake in the bed. He was sweaty but it felt like a natural way to wake up. No heavy breathing, no sudden jolts. He sat up, trying to make sense of the dream he had. 'Who's Caiden?', he wondered.

 

[Thewarsword]

Abelard looked up at the bars. No one came to talk to him, no one gave me a clue why he was there or for how long. What had he done wrong?


He noticed his bracers, cloak, and scarf were missing. Abe got up, and threw a few kicks into the gate. But the cell door didn't do much besides jiggle.


The more the monk was in the prison the more trapped he felt. He sent kick and punch into the door. Again and again until sweat ran like river across his body.

 

[Maeve Valor]

As she looked up she was going to respond, instead she stopped herself when she saw the half-elf look away. At first Tayana was offended by the way he was acting from all that she had just said, but she then saw his face slightly flushed as he walked away. She didn't understand it as she too started to feel her face redden and look away from the beings in front of her. Tayana stood up shyly brushing off some of the dirt that may have gotten onto her white uniform and finally responded, "Um, I may have exchanged a few words with Queen Ondell, but I do not recall ever requesting something such as you sleeping in the palace with us. May I accompany them along with you Lord Rimedur to show them to their rooms?" She asked knowing the answer already.


She may have not been acting as a adviser for very long but she was still very popular among the kingdom. Everyone respected her and saw her as a high rank. Not just from her aura with a sense of leadership, it was also because of her father's occupation as the royal blacksmith that people from neighboring kingdoms had also requested his handiwork. With a reputation like her father's Tayana was bound to get a little respect of that to her own reputation.


Tayana looked around noticing that a few of the group was missing, "Speaking of the matter, have the others already gone to meet with the queen?"

 

[Lain.Laurent]

Sarvi looked a little awkward towards Tayana's announcement that they shouldn't take the Queen's words to heart and that the rest of society didn't share her views. On one hand Tayana and Lord Rimédur were both charming and welcoming elves, then again Queen Ondell and apparently private messenger Lord Thalion shared the same views. In the end she gave a beaming smile towards the elf "I can't say it's not shared by everyone but there is certainly some extremely welcoming people"


When Tayana asked if he could accompany them to their rooms Lord Rimédur gave a respectful bow "Of my course my lady". Though immediately started to laugh "No need to ask, you wield alot more power than me!". The group marched onward through the palace towards the west wing where they were to sleep for the night. Castien didn't last long, helping the elf from earlier must of tied him out, Sarvi nestled herself upon a seat comprised of cushions spread across the floor held in place by a net creating the appearance of a huge arched chair. As Lord Rimédur sat down at a small table he poured himself a drink of the same substance that Castien had previously. "What is that stuff?"


Queen Ondell licked her lips staring at Norven and Varick "Well done Varick but you have no room for condition making here, we are offering you a most powerful gift, if anything you should be willing to help us when need be. Do we still have a deal?"


Her eyes slipped over Norven and she looked all of a sudden appeared to be rather sad "I suppose there is no chance for a reconsider?"


Lord Thalion heaved open a large iron door and marched down the steps, private messenger was only one of his duties within these walls he had many. The place had none of the delicate grace and wonder the rest of the city held, it was dark, damp and a little frightening. Lord Thalion marched onward until he reached the end of the dingy room and pulled aside a chair, sat himself down upon it and grabbed an ink pot, a quill and scroll of paper. "Name?" He asked to the strange man within the last jail cell. "We do seem to be in abundance of humans currently don't we?"

 

[Thewarsword]

Abelard was up pacing trying to dig through his training to find a way out of this when a strange elven man came down.


" why did you imprison me? Its Abelard, my compatriots you mean? Of course...you seem pretty manner less to me elf"


Abelard threw a flying kick at the gate to add to his point. First the elven woman was sneaking around and treated them like trash, now they threw him in this prison for no reason...who wouldn't be seetheing angry. He just hoped not all elves were like these two. Haven't they heard of hospitality? Or did they sit in isolation too long to remember manners?


The monk sat and after a few breathes his anger was washed away. A smile appeared on his face. " Elf, what is your name? What do you do around here? Your ambush techniques are quite impressive, not many can capture a monk in training."


He sneered at the mention of "monk in training" but ment it none-the-less. Abe might be a caged animal, but he wasn't going to throw away his humanity because of some punks.

 

[Chao5Th3ory]

Varick allowed a low growl to escape his throat in response to Queen Ondell's words. "Fine, but as I said before do not try to trick me or you will regret it" He then crossed his arms and had a small smirk on his face as he turned to face Norven.


"If power corrupts then why did you join the Guard?. After all we are part of the most powerful and most feared force this land has ever known, and regardless if it is your purpose for joining it all of its members will gain power in some way, so I guess that makes us all corrupt doesn't it?. And as for not needing anything she offers....well put it this way, I did not need to become a member of the Guard, and yet I am. This is a choice rather than a need. I never said I was leaving all of you behind either you know. Think of this as sharpening a blade, and I need to be as sharp as I can possibly be for the task ahead of us. If it means getting a little help from her then so be it."


He then turned his attention back to Queen Ondell. "Now that we have this settled, when do we start?. Oh and by the way, what exactly is this...gift you speak of?."