Valen's Tragic Life with Bridget

[Dirtbear]

TechEwok submitted a new role play:


Valen's Tragic Life with Bridget - TechEwokxexplosiveKitten

(Currently working on a description)

Read more about this role play...

 

[explosiveKitten]

Rain was pouring down in the kingdom of Dunlep, as per usual. It rained six months of the year, and the other half it snowed. Yet the place prospered on trade with the others of the land. Many people shunned the blustering storm, staying inside their homes and staying cozy.


Not one. She doesn't have a comfortable home to hide in.


The young woman ran through the rain fearlessly, her near bare feet made waves in the near-flooded streets of inner Dunlep, with a burlap sack draped over her shoulder. This sack was mostly full of food items and cloth- but one item in particular was reason enough to be hunted.


Voices called, "Thief!" in her direction, but she kept running. If she was caught, they would have her hung in front of everyone.


The rope necklace was really not her style.

 

[Dirtbear]

"Damn all this rain! Why do you not own a shop with a furnace or decent shelter outside, Valen?" the old man hollered at him as he shivered in his soaked coat. Valen was busy gathering his materials and ingredients from the shelves and containers along the wall. He called out with a joking tone, "If I had a furnace in here, I'm sure we would all burst to flames if one of these containers accidentally opened. You know how dangerous magnesium is when near an open flame. Ha Ha! You know better than that." He gathered his supplies and handed them to the old man. "There. Now get on with you. You have a wife you can go get warm by." He laughed as the old man headed out to the exit of his little shop. "The wife is a cold cronie, my furnace will warm me far better than she could!" the old man called out as he exited.


Valen looked over the shop and smiled. 'I finally got enough for this. I finally made it. HA!' Valen thought to himself smiling like a fool. He finished putting away all the containers into proper glass boxes and the herbs hanging over the shelves. Valen stretched himself out and laughed. He was ready for some tea. He left the shop to go outside in the front under his tattered awning. He had a small stove and heated a kettle for his tea. He sat in the cold wrapped with a blanket and watched the raindrops beat the stone road as he waited for his tea.

 

[explosiveKitten]

After a long and arduous chase, the thieving woman came to a stop in an alleyway, and scanned her surroundings. "I lost them... Finally." She muttered, pulling an apple from her bag and sighed, sitting down in the gathering water on the cobblestones, and bit into it. The crunch of the apple and the juices dripped from the corner of her mouth, and she frantically trying to lap it up with her tongue.


How little she came across fresh fruit. Even thinking about made her stomach grumble. She mowed through the two apples she had in mere minutes, and was about to start on a loaf of bread, when she heard a sound not too far away. Two small children, a young boy and an even younger girl, thin and frail, were watching from the shadows, the clothes they had clung to them from the rain. It made her stop.


"...Here." She said to them, offering to them. The two children at first were scared and backed away, but she persisted, "Go on, take it. I don't need it anymore then you do." she tossed it to them, and the boy caught it, barely. They both looked at her, then the little girl smiled and rushed over, her arms extended as the little, frail child hugged the wanted criminal with much zeal, before running back to her brother- at least, she assumed it was her brother- and the pair fled.


It was moments like this that made Bridget smile- such a rare little thing.

 

[Dirtbear]

Valen heard the whistling from the kettle and turned to grab it. He extended his hand to quickly and knocked it over and it clashed onto the stone patio. He sighed heavily and had to clean up the mess. He put the kettle back over the stove on a hook and poked the fire until it was low and dying. 'Guess it's to the Midnight Moon I go.' he thought to himself as he hurried inside to grab his coat. He fitted the coat on his and raised the hood to shield himself from the rain. He looked out and made sure to lock his door before leaving to the local inn.


The Midnight Moon was close by and was one of the more enjoyable inns in Dunlep. The talented bards played here more often than most inns and the food was by far on a different scale. Valen walked up the steps out front and laughed at the ill drawn moon outside it's door. He could never get over the drunkard that carved that on the door. He walked in and everyone greeted him as he walked in. Everyone like Valen, he was funny and charming. He helped anyone who needed it and knew how to acquire what he needed for his customers, no matter what it was.


Valen found himself on a barstool and leaning against the bar with a mug of hot cider in his hands. He didn't enjoy alcohol and the maid attending the bar knew it. He smiled and gave her a gold coin for her services. He listened to the raucous happening around him. Gambling and playing of games on tables where he wouldn't find himself on. And the bard tonight, Illiana Haena, was lulling everyone in with her beautiful chorus. She sang and everyone listened, sometimes he thought she had a magical talent in music. But he laughed at the idea of magic. Magic had left the kingdoms long ago with the elves. He took in a few sips of the cider and warmed his heart with the sounds of Illiana's harp.

 

[explosiveKitten]

When the door next opened, a drenched rat trudged in- No, wait. That was Bridget.


She was common at the Midnight Moon, under the guise of the fictitious Ellen Redburrow. She normally came in and bought something, something, with what little coin she had. Just so she wouldn't be drinking more rainwater, which was unsanitary enough as it was. When she sat down at the bar, normally she would just sit and wait for the drink to come to her- she always ordered the cheapest ale, and the bartenders knew it- and normally she would be swept away by the music of the bard, but tonight- It near drew her mad, this woman played music, yes, but... it lacked one thing she had heard from convicts like herself.


Soul. This woman played with no soul. No love for the music. She had a pretty voice, yes, but no soul, makes for bad music.

 

[Dirtbear]

Valen was almost done with the cider before the barmaid refilled it for him. He smiled at her and looked around trying to find a familiar face. He didn't exactly know anyone here tonight so he just wanted to finish listening to Illiana's music and leave. She stopped and played another song. She put the harp down and played the flute. He was going to enjoy the tunes when a few guards entered the inn. Clad in armor and the crimson colors of the king, they stomped in and called out for silence.


"There has been an incident! We ask that all of you stay where you are as we conduct our search for the culprit." He yammered out. The crowd protested and asked what the commotion was about. But the guard went around looking at everyone and searching their belongings. Valen had a good sense that it probably was time to leave. So he left a gold coin on the table and opened his coat to let the guards search him before he left. The guard rummaged through his things and snatched up an herb he left in his coat pocket. "What's this!? Mandrake root? You a witch?" he yelled out to him.


Valen cast a disgusted look on him, "No, sir. That's actually ginseng. You buffoon. Now give that back before you hurt yourself and cost me money." he said as he reached out to grab it out of the guards hands. The guard grabbed his arm and shoved him towards the nearest table. "Hands off! How dare you assault the kings guard!" he yelled out. Valen had ran into a girl and felt something hard press into him, like a hard surface or something. It felt like he bruised his rib when he hit her. He gasped and quickly apologized, "So sorry. Damn fool." he said before looking at the guard. "Fine Fine! You can have the damned thing. I'll be going!" he said, satisfying the oaf and letting him have the blasted ginseng root. Cursing him under his breath, hoping he choked on it in his sleep.

 

[explosiveKitten]

At first, the young woman didn't react, she merely continuing to sip her drink in peace, until a guard clad in heavy armor and red approached. She knew exactly what he wanted, but before he could begin his search, she was rammed into by another man, his ribs slamming into her. She knew he had to have felt it. The precious object in the burlap sack laying against her side.


The talisman, she thought, I have to get rid of it.


Her eyes fell on the man. Perfect.


With little effort, she slipped the precious necklace into the man's pocket, then picked up her things and made a move to leave.

 

[Dirtbear]

Valen fixed his coat and left the place after being shoved by the dastardly thug that called himself "The King's Guard". Valen spit on the door after he closed it behind him. "I hope you find whatever it is up your arse! CRETINS!" he shouted at the door before scurrying away before being apprehended. The rain came down harder the closer it got to the darkest hour of the night. He shuffled along the cobblestones in the capital of Dunlep, hoping to avoid the giant puddles in the road. The lanterns were hardly any help outside on their post along the King's Road. He veered off to the left towards his shop and saw a couple of guards knocking on doors and announcing themselves to it's residents and owners. Valen shook his head slightly and hurried into his shop, Resourceful Valen, and quickly closed the door to hide from the cold and wet world outside.


He shook himself off and walked through the dimly lit shop. He went to the room on the right and removed his coat. Valen placed it on the rack hanging by the doorway. He looked back at his bed and drooped a bit, exhausted at the day's troubles. He reached his bed and sat down and began to prepare for a long slumber when strong raps on the door interrupted him.


Bang. Bang. Bang. "This is the king's guard! Open the door at once. Under the King, we are entitled to search your residence. NOW OPEN THIS DOOR!" the guard bellowed out. Bang. Bang. Bang.


Valen dragged his hands down his face and pulled a face. He got up as the pounding became an annoyance. "ALRIGHT ALREADY! My door will burst into splinters before I have a chance to open the damned thing." Valen called out. He hurried over and unlatched the door, allowing the guard into his shop. "Step aside. We are searching every home and shop in the capital. Pray that you do not have what we seek." the small guard said. He hobbled into the shop and watched his partner, a much much larger gentle--- not so gentle man, wreck havoc in Valen's shop.


"Hey! Careful with that!" Valen shouted following behind the guard, catching the containers he shuffled through. Valen placed them back in the places where they belonged. "Stop that! You're messing with all my ingredients! DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Valen yelled out and rushed to keep the guard from putting his hand on a lethal plant, Shadow's Touch. He closed the container and stared the guard down. "I just saved your miserable life, sir." Valen's voice hard and unwavering. The guard snorted and continued his search in the back room. He emerged after some grunts and a few sneezes. The back room was filled with antique equipment and dusty books. And then he searched Valen's sleeping quarters. He emerged with something in his hands. A small blue gem on a silver band resembling a cloud.


"You're coming with us, thief." the guard said as he came closer to Valen. Thief? Valen was no thief. He never... well he didn't take what was wanted anyway. "That's not mine! What is that? How come... Did you just plant that in my home!? " Valen yelled out avoiding the men that tried to wrongfully imprison him. The guard came close and firmly grabbed a hold of Valen and tossed him against the wall, removing his sword from it's scabbard. Which was unnecessary, as Valen was knocked unconscious when his head connected with the stone wall.

 

[explosiveKitten]

The young woman has been tailing the poor man for a long time. And what she found when she came to the man's shop was not what she wanted to see.


They had found it. This was bad, that poor man she had so suddenly shoved into this conflict. She could just leave it, let the others deal with it. But something about staring at that crumpled body of the man on the floor... Well, thats decided. The young woman unsheathed her trusty blade and walked into the shop. At first nobody reacted, then the smaller guard with the object turned to her and said, "Who are you? What is your busine-" He was cut off with a simple slash of her wicked blade.


His soft, cut off hand fell to the floor with a thump.The guard stared at his missing hand as the female thief reached down and retrieved the rain talisman from the cut of hand, placing it into with little care into her brassiere, staring the two men down as she did. That done, she spun her blade around, then shouted and slashed. The fight between the smaller guard was short lived, him being minus one hand and shocked beyond belief, but the larger, more burly guard? She didn't even have a chance to catch her breath before he was upon her, his sword gleamed in the lowlight. The cut of the blade on her arm made her squeak, but she didn't stop. She was skilled at combat, and she knew that this big guy couldn't be all that fast. So she raised her sword and did something this burly man probably didn't expect- slashed low. Luckily she did hit her mark, slashing the man's ankles, then kicked him down to his knees. After that, finishing him was easy. All that was left of his life was warm blood splatter against her face.


She kicked the corpse and breathed out, before looking around. An herbalist's shop? Well, who would have thought a guy who cared so much about Ginseng was an herbalist. Hm. When she looked down at the crumpled man on the floor and knelt down beside him. Somehow she just couldn't leave him...


So after shoveling as many herbs and things into her burlap sack as she could, she left, hauling an unconscious man over her shoulder.


Well. This day turned out interesting.

 

[Dirtbear]

The smells of musk and dirt filled his senses. The damp feeling getting worse as he began soaking. His feet were beginning to become sore and bringing a very sharp discomfort. His head throbbed but still he stayed unconscious until he hit the ground without any care. His face smashed into the mud and abruptly woke with a shout growing with the amount of pain he had endured in his sleep. "YEEEEEEOOOOOOWWW! What in the blazes! How... What! My poor feet feel like they've been drawn and quartered! And my head!" he shouted as he held his head in his hands trying to soothe the pain without "I feel like it's been drummed between a blacksmith's hammer and anvil..." He groaned and watched the world come to a spinning halt. He crawled to the nearest thing beside him, which of course was a muddied tree. He laid against it and saw a woman staring at him.


"You... I ran into you earlier... Wha--- Did you do this to me?! I said I was sorry! By the wolves, why did you drag me out to the woods!? Are you robbing me? Or... worse... are you going to... ravage me?" he said shielding his body with his arms. The thoughts ran through his mind and he feared for the worst. 'A woman. In the woods. With lust in her eyes. I'M DOOOMED!' the thoughts fluttered across his face. He wasn't prepared for this.

 

[explosiveKitten]

The blonde woman stared down at him, with an eyebrow raised as he began to panic. She blinked a few times, then started to giggle, and slowly her laughter got louder, until it rang through the trees and she thought her gut were going to burst. Her laughter wasn't insane, just sweet laughter, as she hadn't ever heard anything funnier in her lifetime. "Ravage you? HA! Thats hilarious!" She laughed, then sat down and rubbed her head some, her dirty blonde hair matted down against her head from the rain. She stared at him awhile, then starts digging in her brassiere again, and plucked the holy object from her bosom, spinning it around on her finger, then threw it up and caught it, "By the way, thanks for holding onto this for me."

 

[Dirtbear]

"Wait... You....YOU!" Valen shouted and he tried to scramble up the tree. He gained his footing and pointed his finger at her, "You put that in my coat. What did you do!? " Valen looked around and saw blood on his clothing. He thought hard and realized after seeing the blood, feeling his head throbbing, catching the small glimpses of what had happened before being slammed into the wall. "You... killed those guards... didn't you.. You made me into a criminal.... WHAT ABOUT MY SHOP! MY LIFE!"

 

[explosiveKitten]

The woman only stared, then began to dig into her bag, pulling a torn and worn rag from it. The. She proceeded to dab at a wound on her arm that was crusted over with dried blood. The sight didn't seem to phase her, as if nursing her own wounds was an ordinary occurrence.


"Yes, I'm quite sorry about ruining your life." She said, not looking at Valen. She proceeded to wrap her injured arm in the cloth to keep infection out. Once that was done, then she pulled the ancient and holy relic from her bosom and looked it over to see if it was still intact.

 

[Dirtbear]

"That's all I get? I ruined your life. Myeh myeh myeh." Valen mocked the woman by tossing his hands around in front of him back and forth. He huffed and looked at the floor, settling himself. He leaned against the tree and looked at his muddied hands. "So... I lost everything. Great. Well there goes my life's work. Guess Iridan won't be happy about my... hmmm." Valen sighed to himself and looked up to the young woman.


He watched her and frowned a bit as he looked at her in the rain. She wasn't much to look at, well, all wet, muddied, and ragged. He didn't think much of her, other than the fact she just turned his entire life upside down and ripped it through a troll's intestines. Valen checked his coat pockets and hoped everything was still in there. He had a small bag of coins he kept with him, a vial of oil, and a rock. A ROCK? 'I seriously need to clean out my pockets every now and then....' He thought to himself, chucking the rock away. "Where do we go from here? You have more experience in being chased by the King's men." Valen said, being sarcastic and bitter.

 

[explosiveKitten]

"WE?" She glanced him, then picked up her bag of things, and began to climb up a tree. She moved with a rare grace up that tree, despite the rain soaked bark making it slick under her bare hands. Then she disappeared into the deep greens of it. "You think you're coming with me?" She shouted back down as she popped her over the top of the branches, her foot in a comfortable in a bend in the tree. Her silhouette could be seen against the gray sky, as she looked around, began to clamber down from the trees, landing with a splash in front of Valen. "Have you ever lived on the streets? Have you held a knife, or a sword?"

 

[Dirtbear]

"Actually I haven't lived on the streets. I've only been in the capital for a year. Before that well, I lived in a forest far from here." Valen looked at his fingers and tried to wipe the blood and mud from them. He stood up and tried to walk away without acknowledging his sore feet. "I know my way around here. I'll just go be a damned criminal on my own, thanks to you." Valen said walking away from her in the rain. He strayed off and looked around the trees and found his paths where he gathered his herbs at.

 

[explosiveKitten]

"Yes? Well, you're welcome. Enjoy the hungry beasts of this place, I'm sure they'll enjoy you... for a meal." She said, waving after him, then setting off in the opposite direction. Her lodging wasn't too far away, she could be there by nightfall if she kept the pace up. However, she couldn't get that foolish man off of her mind... What was it? He was anything but what she would look for a partner in crime, he looked like he hadn't held a knife or swung a sword in his lifetime. He was like a child, really, but yet... She turned and looked at the man as his figure stalked away, and stared, then shook her head and walked away, climbing into the nearest tree and disappearing.

 

[Dirtbear]

The words hungry beasts didn't really bother him since well, he wasn't new to the forests and it's inhabitants. He gathered the herbs and the things he needed for everyone from green moss to ginseng, which wasn't cheap. Valen groaned as his feet began to torture him. The path was darker than he was accustomed to and he looked for the tells of his normal route. He couldn't go back to the capital of Dunlep. But he was sure that if he kept going, he would find Elera. Small town known for their pies. He drooled as he thought of the delicious pies that danced in his mind. 'Rhubarb... peach cobbler.... blackberry crumble.... mmmm' he thought as he melted with the warmth from the imaginary pastries. He hurried to get to the village and ignored his throbbing feet. Valen trudged through the muddy path and the endless rain to find himself a lovely pie in Elera.

 

[explosiveKitten]

The young convict climbed the tree like an expert, making her way up the gigantic redwood that held in it's green branch a civilization not seen by many. The platforms of what was once a mighty empire still stood, and it hurt her to see the place so empty. The tree spirits probably thought so too. If the tree spirits talked to her, rather then bat her around with their branches if she got too close to their things.


This abandoned wood elf empire she stayed in was glorious and beautiful. The elves of the place had long passed on, and the spirits of an ancient civilzation was now living in the trees, and were not afraid to bash her on the head. Or at least, thats what the most sense, she' read about it in books before her parents had died and she was forced onto the streets. When she actually had books to read.


The place was a marvel of elvish carpentry and nature. The mosses perhaps grew a bit too thick in some places, foundations could be solider, but the elves built things tough.


The tree guardians let her stay there as long as she didn't take anything and left everything as it was when she left. They were a bit like grumpy old men and women. Reasonable, but not taking any of your bullsh*t.


When she finally settled in a hut off the main platform, she ran her hands along the walls, and blew at the dust.


Home again, home again.

 

[Dirtbear]

The rain was relentless and still bothered Valen to no end. At times, it could be relaxing and a blessing. But right now, he wanted to stab the god that thought it was a good idea to make it endlessly rain in Dunlep. The brush was slapping him as he walked through the path. Darkness was around him and without a torch, the moonlight was all that would aid him. Though, that wasn't enough to avoid getting smacked in the shin with a root of a tree. "Gyah! Blasted tree.. blasted rain... blasted... woman-child-thing-criminal that got me in this mess..." he called out. Valen knelt down to soothe his injury and plopped back up to keep walking. The thoughts ran through his mind. He was a criminal. He had no home. He had zero chance of making things right with the deaths of those guards. He was going to be hunted and be put to death. He smashed his head into a nearby tree when he thought about his life being over. He continued to smack his head, "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." he said each time he banged his forehead into the tree. He stopped after a while and looked out to the outskirts of the forest and hoped to make it to Elera, in one piece.


He made his way onto the small beaten path heading to Elera. His body was sore and fatigued. He needed to make it to Elera before his body gave up on him. Valen saw the forest's edge and began to hurry towards it, knowing the Elera would be down the hill. He made it to the forest's edge and stopped to take a breath and overlooked the small town. He was overjoyed and didn't hear the crumbling of leaves couple paces back.

 

[explosiveKitten]

It was only a short amount of time before the goblins appeared. They climbed the great tree with their fiendish little fingers, and rushing straight past the guardians, whose tree branches were much too short to reach them. They rushed the quiet homes in the trees, and soon came upon the sleeping form of Bridget, their pointy little teeth bare in a wicked smile as they frisked the woman, plucking a shiny silvery trinket from her neck. The little green skinned devils looked at the talisman and hissed things about shiny objects, then began clawing at each other for the trinket, their pointy nails and teeth clicking at each other. The ringleader of the raid ran off with the little thing, making quite a racket.


This of course woke her. She woke, eyes shooting open, and reached to grab the thieving goblin, but it was too late, he had run for it. So she raced after him, taking her weapon from it's place beside the bed, and running after them, as they dived from the platform and ran into the woods, the woman following at full speed, shouting, "HEY! I STOLE THAT FIRST!" and running through the brush, heading straight for Elera.

 

[Dirtbear]

Gon'yu was already having a terrible day and the scouting party was making worse. They strode into the rainy lands and he hated it. 'Rain... it's a terrible thing... rain... bleck...' he muttered under his breath. He was ahead of the scouting pack and trudged through the gunky mud that went up to his knees. He hated being a goblin sometimes. He hated being part of the scouting party even more. He hated the entire idea of war for a stupid rock. He began to smack anything close to his olive hands and tried to get out of all the mud he was wading in. There was a clearing with many shrubs and trees and he wanted to get out of the rain. He came to a tall tree and saw something he was not sure of. 'A boy... girl.... human... elf... orc....?' he couldn't tell the difference of the figure being wet and covered in muck. He crouched down and decided to investigate.


Valen began walking fast towards the town without any hesitation. He rounded the small bends that led down the hill and crossed over the bridge of a very large river that was whipping wildly with white fangs. Such would have given the river it's name, White Fang River. He hurried over and the road went from dirt to wooden planks to stone as he was at the entrance of the town. He was relieved and took in a swift breath of the bakeries and inn filling the air. He searched for the only inn that stood in the center of the town, Luckless.


Luckless was a decent inn built of stone and wood. It stood two stories tall and had a modest balcony for the owners. Luckless got it's name for all the travelers down on their luck finding their way here in Elera to start over somewhere. 'And it so happens... I need to start over..' Valen walked past all the homes and closed shops and stood in front of the inn. He walked up the few steps and stepped into the inn and bathed in the warmth it held. He found himself a seat by the fireplace and took off his coat and placed it onto the hangar by the fire. Valen sunk into a chair and found that everything ached. 'Wretched girl ruining my life... over a stupid talisman and then... bah to the depths with her..' Valen brooded in the corner of the fireplace and thought of how he would hate to see her face again.

 

[explosiveKitten]

Bridget went charging into the town,brandishing her sword in her white knuckled fist. She locked eyes on the nearest goblin and chased it through. The little pack of them had gone running through the small town of Elera, and she had quite willingly thrown herself into the mass of people looking to start their lives over. That ridiculous fool herbalist was probably within this mass somewhere, probably digging into some rhubarb pie- the air was thick with the smell of pie. It was enticing. She could've sworn she saw a goblin run off with a slice of pie... Might have to steal that later. She chased those dumb goblins through the street, causing havoc but somehow not injuring anyone (severely at least). She found herself at the Luckless, an inn for those starting over. The goblin caring her artifact was hiding inside- she had seen him running in, and soon she came charging in after him. The green skinned devil was in the corner, trying to hide behind another man, but he wouldn't be hidden for long.