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KNOCK seems in better spirits than earlier, the cataplasm liberally spread around his face, neck and wrists in a pearlescent sheen that twinkles in the firelight. He hums a few bars of the songs, almost chancing some words aloud but plainly thinking better of it. Drumming his fingers against his own greaves, he waits for a lull in conversation before jumping in. KNOCK: Say, we're all friends now, right? Or near enough, as these things go? Well, between us friends, I could use another set of eyes on this... He leaps to his feet, heedless of the sloshing of his trencher of assorted organs meats. He fairly sprints into the shadows beyond the fire's edge, behind a ruined stone pillar, and drags back... something. Part of something. An arm, perhaps, still sopping wet with blood and muck matted into tangled fur. Too many joints, bearing a wiry, corded strength, and the length of it bound in studded leather wrappings that strike sparks off the stone as he hauls it. Around the... forearm, a heavy brass collar, intricately made of many interlocking parts. It glows dully between the pieces, but otherwise betrays nothing of its purpose. Above and below the collar, the limb has been hacked and carved, but the collar itself bears no marks of any kind. KNOCK: Ladies and gentlemen, do you know what the hell this is? And - more importantly - how I can get it off!? Bright: Laval of Peratoria Fading: Verdrim of Peratoria, Yseult de Carcaraque, Knock of Ashford Quiet:
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Jul 29, 2022 03:33
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| # ? Jun 9, 2024 20:51 |
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LAVAL nods appreciatively as YSEULT takes over the melody, and grins lopsidedly at the remarks about the greaves' history, but says nothing until KNOCK stands to speak. LAVAL (circling, appraising the collar from a distance): A pretty piece of work is what it is. Have you tried boiling it off? Though the smell might be a bit offensive. They pinch their nose and move in for a closer look. LAVAL: If it helps, I've seen the same designs on the armour of the Cerberoi of Antrim. Of course, those were part of a full suit of armour, not some useless collar, and the only people of that land I've seen in these parts have been convict expeditions. Needless to say, they don't get much by way of wealth or protection. Perhaps a "stray dog", then? They look off into the darkness and trudge back to their seat. Nice job putting them down, in any case. - Bright: naught but the blazing bonfire Fading: Verdrim of Peratoria, Yseult de Carcaraque, Knock of Ashford, Laval of Peratoria Quiet:
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Jul 29, 2022 19:00
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YSEULT gives a soft appreciative whistle as KNOCK pulls his trophy into the light of the fire. She flicks her wrist and a small dagger falls from her sleeve into her hand. She prods at the forearm, prying open the wounds and inspecting the tendons, muscles and bones with her free hand. YSEULT: Hmm yes I think I can help you with this, friend. But this is no job for blades, LAVAL has the right of it. YSEULT reaches into her tunic and pulls out yet another small pouch, made of reptilian scales sown together with coiled spidersilk threads. There are gaps between the scales, showing that the pouch is empty. YSEULT undoes the spidersilk knot, opens the pouch and plunges her other arm impossibly far into it, up to the elbow. YSEULT (while pulling out vial after vial from the bag): Hmm let's see. No. No. Definitely no. Ah, this is what I was looking for. YSEULT carefully uncorks a small pearl vial. She sniffs at it, screws up her face and then nods. She walks back towards the severed arm and slowly tilts the vial, spilling a few drops just above and below the collar. The dead flesh starts to sizzle, then boil in great purulent patches. After a few moments, the collar falls to the ground surrounded by bubbling, oozing organic sludge. Another moment later, only the collar and a faint acrid smell remain. YSEULT (in Carcarais): Et voilà! - Bright: naught but the blazing bonfire Fading: Verdrim of Peratoria, Yseult de Carcaraque, Knock of Ashford, Laval of Peratoria Quiet:
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Jul 30, 2022 12:06
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VERDRIM scrunches his nose as the flesh dissolves, but looks over at the source, squinting at the vial VERDRIM, curious, to YSEULT: My word. Is that Essence of Time? Just a few drops of concentrated entropy to accelerate the decay? That stuff is incredibly hard to find a suitable container and cork for. There was a huge manufactorium for the stuff up in Peratoria, up until the Accident... VERDRIM winces and tails off, a painful memory evoking cringe and nostalgia, and regret for that which was lost. Bright: naught but the blazing bonfire Fading: Yseult de Carcaraque, Knock of Ashford, Laval of Peratoria Quiet: Verdrim of Peratoria
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Jul 30, 2022 17:57
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KNOCK bows his head in a quick avian bob then quickly - if gingerly - goes and picks up the collar. He tosses it from hand to hand, making sure none of the Essence stuck to his fingers. KNOCK: Many thanks, that bone was really stuck in my throat. That Essence is potent stuff. He toys with the Collar, looking at it from all angles. He shakes it, listening for something rattling inside, then twists it. The complicated mechanism making it up shifts and clinks, but doesn’t otherwise change. KNOCK curses in an unfamiliar language. KNOCK: This blasted thing… I thought if I could get it off I could… here, there’s something inside here I want, I just need to figure out how to… He keeps playing with it, growling. He squints up at YSEULT, at the vial of Essence. KNOCK: Unfortunate we can’t just douse this in that stuff. I’m afraid it’ll seep in and destroy its guts, and that’s the good stuff, heheh. Essence O’ Time. Heard that stuff is old. Real old. Or, well, it gets complicated with that sort of thing. Takes a year to distill a second’s worth, and longer to distill that distillation. Hear they have to ‘milk it from the teats of the great Auroch of the Clock’, but I always sort of figured that was just… He waves a hand, awkwardly. KNOCK: Just one of those things they say. I’ve never heard tell of any such creature other than that saying. How would one even do such a thing as milking it? Who would even decide to try? He taps a finger against his lips, considering it. KNOCK: I suppose tasting it would be a piss-poor idea, but one gets curious… Bright: naught but the blazing bonfire Fading: Yseult de Carcaraque, Laval of Peratoria Quiet: Verdrim of Peratoria, Knock of Ashford
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Aug 4, 2022 17:25
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LAVAL (to the fire): You're right. They raise a leg and pat their moulded bronze greaves and smile—genuinely, but briefly—at YSEULT. LAVAL: Yes, you're right, my fanged friend. The Flying Vipers took me in when I reached Carcaraque; they gave me work when no-one else would. Being a free agent halfway good at violence is appreciated in crowds like that, and few places besides. They gave me these after I survived my first battle with them. So, yes, we may have met one another. They turn to VERDRIM. LAVAL: As for whether we could, ah, "leap higher than a mortal should", or the Padishah's fate... I'll leave that to your imagination—but I'll tell you one thing, and that's that every story about us had at least a kernel of truth. If we caught anyone spinning complete fiction about us, the rule was, we had to kick them to death. I think the idea was, everyone would know whatever they heard about us, we could do one way or another. Never did it myself, but I did see it happen now and then. LAVAL (to the fire): They were a strange crowd, really. LAVAL looks around at the others: YSEULT in her cloak of coins; VERDRIM sharpening his empty blade; KNOCK tinkering with the glowing collar like a magpie. LAVAL: A strange crowd indeed. - Bright: naught but the blazing bonfire Fading: Yseult de Carcaraque Quiet: Verdrim of Peratoria, Knock of Ashford, Laval of Peratoria
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Aug 4, 2022 23:14
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YSEULT: A strange crowd with strange possessions. YSEULT holds up the pearlescent vial, weighing it in her hand. YSEULT (to KNOCK): I don't know anything about an Aurochs, all I know is that when I was gifted this vial by... (to herself) Trystan... YSEULT pauses for a brief second. YSEULT (to KNOCK): By an old lover, when it was gifted to me by an old lover it was empty. He thought it was just a nice bauble, else he would never have given it to someone like me. I noticed the first drop of essence much later, after he... passed. Ever since every time I pour some out, it fills up a bit more, is a few drops heavier. I sometimes wonder what will happen once it overflows, though I think I still have quite a bit of space left, quite a bit of... time. YSEULT grins, twirling the vial in her deft hands. YSEULT: A strange crowd in strange times. - Bright: naught but the blazing bonfire Fading: naught but the twinkling stars at dawn Quiet: Verdrim of Peratoria, Knock of Ashford, Laval of Peratoria, Yseult de Carcaraque
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Aug 10, 2022 20:40
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After a long silence, LAVAL gets to their feet. LAVAL: As much as I'd like to stay, I can't put this off any longer. 'Til we meet again—if we meet again. Keep your knives sharp. They turn away and meander off into the darkness, between the fallen branches of dead trees.
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Aug 23, 2022 21:55
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KNOCK nods absently, toys in vain with the intricate collar once again, then slides it over one arm up to the elbow and leaps to his feet. KNOCK: Aye, I'm off m'self. Gonna go and see if I can't find myself a little something in the deeper reaches. Happy hunting, and may your air stay fresh and clean! He scampers off, his prize clinking against his armor.
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Aug 23, 2022 23:44
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VERDRIM rises wordlessly, tucking away their whetstone, blade of maybe still held, too many fingers around the hilt. VERDRIM: Safe travels. keep a good eye on where and when you are. They fade like a memory into the undergrowth.
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Aug 24, 2022 09:16
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Left alone at the fire, YSEULT pulls out the timeskip mirror again. She sits there for a while, as the fire fades, gazing into the mirror. YSEULT: No sense putting it off. She stands up, grabs the crutch she arrived with before realizing she does not need it anymore. YSEULT tosses the crutch on the last embers and walks away,
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Aug 24, 2022 19:32
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