(Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board)

Subject: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Mon Jan 06, 2014 7:47 pm

Setting: Harglen
Time: 4th of July, 3709, 5pm

This takes place after the boards in Eastern Everplains where Atleon and his band of refugees and Elites have decided to seek supplies and hospitality in Harglen and most of all to spread the news and organise a fighting chance for the DDC. Times are starting to be difficult and not everyone has heard of the invasion yet, so not everyone is prone to believing the news this pack of ragged looking people bring them. However, there are always those willing to lend an ear and a helping hand... All that remains to do is finding them!

Joiners:
- Rilos (Rogue)
- Kagan and Ericius (Echo)
- Atleon (Eldarwen)
- Jackdaww and Measle (Stormkatz)
- Malakath Grimm and Purpurapilum (Malakath Grimm)

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Mon Jan 06, 2014 11:05 pm

"Hey, don't forget I'm here!" The month that had passed since Racksom had fallen passed like a year to the diminutive green goblin, such as he was bound to a broken dragon for that time. Their immediate course of action after the battle was to hole away and restore themselves, as there was not much use for broken souls in this world. Kagan spent the first week in bandages and Rilos, though adrenaline pushed him for the first day, was soon rendered flightless from the awkward weight his metal casts gave. With time now on their side, Kagan attempted a few different forms for the dragon to wear, which sacrificed defence for mobility, though the weight still dragged on the poor dragon, making him list to that side while gliding. After the third week, they both felt well enough to get going, Kagan's body free of cuts and Rilos sore but capable.

And so they were off, searching for the Prince whom they had rescued rather dashingly in the battle. Kagan, as always, was sore over the ordeal of flying, often going as far to say "Lemme off, I'll walk if I have to!" But unwilling as he was to learn the consistency of his innards after a long fall, he muscled through the ordeal of flying, the threat of throwing up a constant reminder in the back of his throat.

"Say," the goblin spoke, clutching madly to the dragon's spines, "do you even know where you're going?"

Last edited by Rogue on Tue Jan 07, 2014 6:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

Pain, confusion, darkness. The days had blurred together for Rilos following Racksom… those events he recalled all too clearly. Even though they too, were not all there; pieces he could not remember through fear or hurt, but who was he to know that?
He had been thankful for Kagan, finding the goblin, once past his appearance and crude ways, surprisingly genuine and comforting. A knirunki goblin and a spined shadow dragon, holed up in the Everplains together while the latter slept and the former tinkered with his armour.
There couldn’t ever have been any like these two.

But for all their uniqueness, and the availability to exploit it, Rilos spent his time sleeping as much as he could, the rest of the time miserably fearful of being found by that sunblaze again. The rest of the time, little of it there was, he spent chewing irritably at his itching scales where they were cracked or broken or slowly healing. One part of him knew it would make them scar worse, and he took… had taken pride in his appearance; the other part just wanted the infernal itching to be satiated. His scales were going to be ruined either way, weren’t they? Nobody would be looking at pale scales once he showed his fac—
He did not want to think about that.

“Flying is rather more difficult than it used to be, Kagan,” Rilos said snippily. The goblin’s retorted were thick and fast today, and Rilos was hardly giving him back the best answers. He was concentrating so hard on keeping aloft, terrified of hitting anything on his blind side and going tumbling from the sky again… his limbs felt heavy under the weight of his armour- even if it was much improved now- and he was hardly used to even carrying a passenger. Rider. He was a wild dragon. “Please make sure I’m not getting close to anything on my right!” Within a good mile’s distance, preferably. “You can see down there just as well as I. People.” Harglen, and people so small they looked like ants moving towards it. They had been shut off for too long from others, when things were changing around them so swiftly.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Tue Jan 07, 2014 6:13 pm

The march had been exhausting, to say the least. But at least with the help of the elites and other dragons in the party, they managed to hunt some game so that the people didn’t have to starve more than necessary. Food was a little rationed but nobody ended the day on a completely empty stomach. Water had been taken from the various rivulets and rivers they encountered or which the dragons went to hunt for with their riders.

All in all, if it hadn’t been for the fact that they were actually fugitives from a city that had been completely taken over and half-way destroyed by an invading force nobody would ever have expected to land on the shores of Dragons’ Cove – according to the lore, it shouldn’t even have been possible, Atleon would definitely have to look into that – things would have been peachy. A little cross-country trip for their amusement.

They had almost reached Harglen. The town’s outlines were already visible on the horizon and Atleon had sent Ericius on a quick fly-by to see whether everything was alright and if they could safely enter the town without needing to expect further obstacles. Since the attack on Quinsilla and Racksom had been so unexpected, he preferred to be safe rather than sorry. Who knew what else was happening on the island.
He really hoped one of the Guardians would show up soon to reassure the people. At least he could be certain that they were already heavily at work. The Guardians would never desert them.

The time they had spent travelling had at least given Atleon the time to reconsider a few things and to take a bit of a breather – as much as it was possible with a horde of frightening and confused people wanting to be looked after. Then there was also the rising anger. The fact that they had to abandon their homes, their families, couple with the fact that they did not understand what was going on and that they had suffered considerable losses was enough to nurture a growing spark of fury and hatred. Too much had been out of their control and they were just living from day to day at the moment without any idea of what to do next, except for continuing down the path they were on and hoping for the best. Or hoping for revenge.

The latter was a sentiment the prince was not happy to see rise but he could not, with a good conscience, tell them not to feel that way. He himself wasn’t all too pleased by the appearance of these strangers and with how they were behaving. While he did not encourage the hatred and the anger, he did not dowse the spark either. The people were allowed to feel whatever they wanted, and with a bit of luck, if it came down to a fight some day soon, Atleon hoped that he would be able to turn this spark of hatred into tremendous motivation to fight for what was rightfully theirs: Dragons’ Cove.

Of course, fighting… It was not something Atleon dared think about. Of course, most of the men out there knew how to throw a punch, but other than that? While some might know how to wield an axe or a minor kind of weapon, hardly any of them would be able to hold in a one-on-one fight or they would falter before it came down to it. Using a weapon in everyday life was a completely different notion. It was in no way comparable to using a weapon on another living being, and it was gesture that would not come easily to a people as peaceful as the inhabitants of Dragons’ Cove.

No matter what went through his head however, Atleon always remained positive and a little authoritative on the outside. People looked to him for guidance and he could not, would not let them down.

“Ah, here comes Ericius with an update,” he stated as he saw the large form of the hedgehog dragon approach the group. The Elite beside him lifted its head in the appointed direction and sighed happily. “Just in time for dinner and a good night’s sleep. Hopefully there will be enough sleeping places for all of us.”

“A barn of hay should easily do the trick,” Atleon smiled. “Those aren’t too hard to come by.”
“Comfortable enough as well,” the Elite agreed.
“Dragon coming up from behind!” someone else called out and the Elite instantly turned towards the newcomer to see whether it was friend or foe while Atleon greeted Ericius.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Thu Jan 09, 2014 8:51 pm

Under Atleon's instruction, Ericius had gone ahead of the troop to the nearest town, Harglen, more to see if they would be allowed within their land more than to see if there was anywhere for them to stay. The hedgehog dragon was curious as to why they had to be worried about resting in what was, for lack of a better word, their territory. But as soon as the words "royal prince" had passed through his lips, the people of the town became very wary of the dragon and his message. They were not cruel, and no direct words of denial were said, but they became stiff and quiet, obviously none to thrilled over the prospect. But, they were going to be allowed in, so Ericius made his way back to the group, thoughts swimming in his head over their reaction.

Touching down a little ways away from the prince, so as not to disturb him with the wind, Ericius had returned from his mission with pride, head held high. Walking towards Atleon, he spoke of his experience; "The people of Harglen are willing to let us rest here, thankfully. Though I think it would be for the best if we try to not aggravate them with trying to get any more support than what we can afford, they weren't too keen on giving any sort of aid to the crown alone." To this, Ericius was very much taken aback; He had known there were people who did not devote themselves to the royal family, but there were whole towns that weren't willing to help their own leaders!? Surely this had to be a town of madmen.

"Well, what are you waiting for, a formal invitation. Get down there already!" Kagan didn't want, or need, to know who the hell it was down there; any excuse to get off of the crippled dragon and back to the ground. Perhaps he would be able to find food and keep it in his stomach long enough for it to get digested. A quick piss wasn't entirely out of the question, either. He bounced on Rilos' back like an angry child and tugged on his spines, anything to get him to land.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:54 pm

Rilos was understandably concerned about landing, when their flight had gone –bar Kagan’s constant complaining- rather well. Spectacularly, in fact, when it was certainly the longest he had been in the air for for weeks, and they hadn’t come across one hiccup.
Yet.
He wobbled a little as Kagan ordered him down to the ground, nervous about the whole thing, but… well, they would have to come down eventually. Oh, please let the goblin be helpful, and not decide it was time to be sick. He had done so well so far, too.
“Alright Kagan, just… lend a little direction, if you could?”

The dragon was past nervousness and into anxiety as he dropped height, swinging round to one side of the line of walkers so he could see them to his left, looking around as far as he could with fear.
Well, it was attempt to land and crash in the process, or just crash.
For his new drawbacks, Rilos did pretty well. It was a bouncy, bumpy landing for Kagan, but they didn’t end up in the dirt, Rilos didn’t end up more broken, and was actually on his feet after running a distance to slow down. The ground was further away than he had first realised… He shook his wings out self-consciously and checked over his shoulder.
“Uhm… Sorry about that.” No doubt he’d hear no end of how awful he was in the sky. Kagan never really held back, and that was on small things. He stiffly made his way towards those who were headed for Harglen, hoping that the presence of company might put the goblin off a rant.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:34 pm

Frankly, Ericius’ news wasn’t thrilling, though Atleon hadn’t expected an enormous welcome wagon either. As long as they were willing to put up the refugees, he didn’t care though. He would find another solution for himself if the people didn’t want to lend more help if he was involved. Maybe they’d be more willing to provide proper food and shelter if the prince didn’t stay with them. It was odd but if that was the way it needed to be, then so be it.

“But they are willing to help the refugees?” he asked, not that he needed to. The dragon had been clear in his report, but he somehow felt the need for reassurance. “Ericius, we’ll have to head to the academy then, if Harglen is unwilling to help. But let’s see how they react to more details of the news first. There is no need to draw conclusions before we have sat down with them to talk to them. You are right though, we shouldn’t ask for anything they aren’t willing to give. I’m not keen on losing their already little loyalty completely.”

“Atleon!” one of the Elites called when the newcomer touched down and slowly galloped towards them. Motioning for Ericius to follow him, Atleon went to check on the newcomer. The dragon seemed vaguely familiar, after all there weren’t many spined shadow dragons around but he couldn’t be sure. The armour however was a touch he had never seen on a dragon before.

And then it suddenly hit him where he had seen the dragon before, or he thought it was the one at least. “You were fighting for us in Racksom, weren’t you?” It wasn’t much by way of greeting but it got doubts wiped away instantly if the answer was an affirmative. The Elites were a little too cautious almost; not that it was a bad thing. Better safe than sorry. “We are about to enter Harglen for shelter and rest, if you would like to come along?” Some people said he was too trusting, and maybe he was, but what was there to lose in inviting this dragon – oh, and its rider! – along.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Sat Jan 11, 2014 7:21 pm

Jackdaww had been further back in the column of refugees, with the other fighters. However, when the Spined Shadow dragon landed, he had to go and investigate. He tapped Measle on the shoulder, and scurried over as quickly as he could manage. The healers had worked wonders with his splintered leg, but he still had to go carefully with it, and running was out of the question for a couple of weeks.

Once he got a little closer, he could make out something green and small with the dragon. Was that a goblin? He had never seen anything like either the dragon or its rider before, and stood as close as he dared to watch as Atleon greeted them. He couldn’t figure out if the price would recognise him, since it had been a good fourteen years since they had last seen each other, so he avoided getting too close for the time being, but he was absolutely in awe of the newcomers. He couldn’t take his eyes off them!

---

Measle almost bit Jackdaww’s hand for tapping him so roughly, but once he turned his head he realised what was going on. Measle had even less life experience than Jackdaww, so he hadn’t seen the likes of Rilos before either. He looked familiar… had he been in Racksom with them? Probably.

Measle followed carefully, trying not to look as eager as Jackdaww, whose eyes were like saucers. He felt like telling Jackie to look after his leg, but he seemed to have forgotten all about it. Measle was still waiting for the news about his bones to hit his rider. Jackdaww had just nodded when the healer explained he had hollow bones like an avian. Measle however had managed to put two and two together, and realise who Jackdaww’s estranged mother must have been. Maybe Jackdaww would do too, given enough time. If not, Measle would explain it very slowly later.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:14 pm

Now they were down on the ground, Rilos started to feel his aches again, from flying for much longer than he was used to these past few weeks. He was strangely stiff and his wings felt heavy, a sensation that never would have occurred to him before Racksom, unless he had spent a couple of days on the wing perhaps.
He decided he didn’t much like it, and would much rather have been his good old self. That wasn’t really an option any more, however.

He looked to the prince as he approached with a new dragon, one Rilos did not recall seeing about during the battle- although it had been very large, and he had lost Atleon quickly after he had taken off on that doomed mission of his to take a look around. Anything could have happened once the man had split off, including finding a dragon of his.
Rilos dipped his head a little in greeting, anxious under the sudden attention he seemed to be getting. Open mouthed stares and pointed fingers were not what he liked to see, especially after his and Kagan’s getaway.
Perhaps finding out what was going on wasn’t such a good idea after all. Perhaps they should have come at night. Or, perhaps Kagan should have come at night; Rilos could have happily hidden away for a good while longer.
“Good day to you, majesty. I… we were. I am afraid my scouting took… rather longer than expected. I had some… minor difficulties.”
The spined shadow was strangely ashamed to admit that he had been ‘waylaid’ his flight over the warring city.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:20 am

Sweet heavens, finally! After Rilos had stopped walking to greet the prince, Kagan began scrambling off of the dragon's back, an awkward debacle considering the great size difference. He slid off with a thud, brushing his pants off, and took a long stretch before addressing the person before them.

"Of course, minor difficulties." Kagan snorted, spitting on the ground. "Ya shoulda 'erd this guy whine. Couldn't tell 'im from a bratty babe for a while there." He chuckled for a second, then his face went cold, arms crossed as he looked Atleon over. "So, you're the prince? Woulda figured you'd be bigger... n'better lookin'." Not that he was one to talk, but hey, he could critique all he wanted. This was no prince of his.

"So, Harglen? Suppose we can't say no to a rest. Lead on."

"They'll take our wounded the way they would take any injured soul, I would imagine. But the care might be a bit cold." He replied, tilting his head softly. "Perhaps we could let them stay here until we can get some proper transportation? Carts, rather than making them march with their wounds." If only there were a better place to let them rest, but it would have to do. Tents were not proper protection from the environment, especially if the weather went south.

Standing with Rilos as the newcomers made their introductions, Ericius was very visibly distrought with the strang man's impertinence; how dare he speak to Atleon that way!? He bit his tongue, knowing he could not fight the prince's battles for him. But it still ruffled his spines, making him look around for a distraction from his annoyance. His eyes finally fell on two individuals standing a ways away, watching the prince. Soldiers? He had seen their faces in passing in their group before, maybe they had news to tell Atleon. You two, man and dragon! Do you have something you need to say?"

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:09 am

As soon as the Spined Shadow dragon spoke, it came back to Atleon. They had met indeed and they had been fighting together in the battle over Racksom; and it seemed as though the dragon was a little worse for the wear. It made him feel ashamed almost that he had come out almost unscathed in comparison. Yet, casualties of war were exactly what they were, and the dragon as well as his rider had survived, which was the most important thing. Atleon would need to learn not to let everything affect him too much. He was already starting to get there, but he was still noticing wounds and losses too much to be able to fool himself that he could be above such worries.

“Good day to you, Rilos,” the prince started only to be rudely interrupted by the dragon’s rider. Atleon merely raised an eyebrow at the sprightly goblin’s words however, despite the lack of respect for his position. The goblin was amusing after all and though it wasn’t he proper way to address royalty, the prince was willing to look past that in this occurrence. He preferred people who spoke their mind, regardless of etiquette, because those tended to be the more honest ones and honesty was what they needed now. People who hid their true opinion behind a façade were rarely to be trusted. Added to this, goblins had always been a little peculiar in their own right. However, he noticed Ericius’ agitation at the words and put a reassuring hand on the dragon’s shoulder to calm him down a little while the latter addressed someone else.

Atleon himself replied to the two before him: “Master Goblin, I assure you, you will be shown the way right along with everyone else. I am not sure how familiar you are with the people of Harglen but it would be advisable to keep your tongue slightly in check around them. They are somewhat… peculiar. The rest would probably do you good however. The flight from Racksom cannot have been easy.”
The prince ignored the accusations of the dragon apparently having whined and instead inspected the armour Rilos seemed to be wearing a little more closely.
“How heavy is that material and how well does it protect the vital parts?”

Guest

Malakath had seen the group of people moving and signalled from Purr's back to turn toward Harglen. Not soon after doing so she was bounding around the town of Harglen searching for someone of note, to Malakath's surprise however, they saw the legendary Atleon, the prince of the island, in front of him! He dismounted his dragon and walked with his scarf covering his pure white face as normal only thinking about running the entire way, until finally stopping with shaky knees right in front of him and somewhat slumping into a kneel as he managed to murmur "P-Prince Atleon, I am honoured to be in your presence".

His dragon however did not seem to know what he was talking about, out of all the things Malakath had told her of she did not seem to know who this man was at all, she just assumed Malakath was being his nervous spineless self once more. She turned to this figure Malakath was bowing to and said politely but as she was talking to a regular person "Greetings sir, my name is Purpurapilum, and the man in front of you is Malakath Grimm, we are but travellers but seeing as your rather large party is a little run down is there anything we may be able to assist with?"
Her Purple fur waved around where it was exposed by the Armour that clad her body.

Malakath then rose and stood in front of the prince, awaiting some form of order or telling him to go away like most others tell an albino like him, but he stood there all the same, his knees shook like he had had a boulder dropped on him but he needed to remain stood up and he just stared at Atleon the entire time, he felt arkward but didn't wish to turn his back on the man.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:57 pm

Jackdaww jumped a little when Ericius addressed him, but stood up straight immediately, falling into place like the trained soldier he was. “No, nothing. Sorry, I was just curious about the new arrivals. Is there something else you would like me to do?” He asked, aware that there was probably some job he was neglecting to do. He was about to stammer some other explaination for his actions when Measle stepped in.

“We were just investigating to find out if there was something going on we should be aware of. I apologise for my human, he’s still recovering from an injury…” Measle had perfected being embarrassed of Jackdaww’s actions, and found that it was better to apologise in advance than let him blunder his way into a sticky situation.

Luckily Jackdaww’s unexplained presence was overshadowed by the awkward newcomer who had just shown his face, so Measle’s work was done. Jackdaww watched the new man carefully. He looked so nervous that he might shatter, but then again, he had probably never met the Prince before. Jackdaww had lost the level of nervousness while he was training to be a royal guard, so while he was still edgy around figures of authority, he wasn’t as bad as this man… Malakath apparently, after that awkward introduction.

Measle felt a little sorry for the nervous man, but didn’t intervene. After the group had dissipated he would insist that Jackdaww made him feel welcome, but it wasn’t worth speaking over the others while they were discussing plans for entering Harglen. Measle understood that was a little bit of a sticky situation, better perhaps than Jackdaww did, and had no intention to interrupt.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:13 pm

Rilos looked to Kagan as he made a fuss getting down, lowering his front a little so he wouldn’t have to jump too far. He always complained so much; although that seemed to just be Kagan’s way, with a sarcastic comment around every corner and for every occasion. The rest of his comments were just plain embarrassing, and he suddenly felt as if he rather not know the goblin for the lack of respect he showed, or at the very least had briefed him on etiquette before they had landed.
“Kagan, please…” he hissed, his spines rattling in discomfort as he looked to the goblin, trying to shut him up. Had he grown up in the middle of the wild? Completely uncouth.

“My apologies for him, he has had little more conversation the past couple of weeks than myself, or the birds of the Everplains.” Rilos was quick to scramble for words, although it seemed that the prince was… not as put out as he expected. Well… that was good. Even if Kagan shouldn’t speak like that. “Err… If it is not considered whining, it feels rather heavy at the moment. But I have not flown far it it at all before today, an—“
Rilos had not been able to see Malakath and his dragon approaching, from his blind side no less; and he had been quite focussed on the prince in any case. He leapt away as the man suddenly appeared in his vision, spines raising high like a startled cat’s fur might, only just avoiding knocking Kagan over. “Who? Sorry Kagan, you…” He let out a breath, trying to settle himself back down again, although was still nervy. “I am not used to this yet.”

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:09 pm

Why was it that every time he tried to talk to one person, or dragon in this instance, so many others wanted to talk to him? For the time being, he let Ericius deal with the man and the lightning dragon – if he recalled correctly, Jack.. something and Measle – and turned his attention to the other new arrivals.

“There is no need to kneel before me,” Atleon said matter-of-factly as he regarded the pair before him, “but I thank you for the respect you are showing me. Please, do get back on your feet.” At least the man did as asked without too much ado while the prince contemplated the dragon. Both of them seemed to be honest enough, if nothing else spoke for them, it was the fact that the man, Malakath Grimm, had apparently run the last few steps to practically fall onto his knee in front of him. Rare was the show of such loyalty these days, and Atleon didn’t think that this was a dishonest display.

“Greetings, travellers. If you truly wish to assist these people, then please help the wounded and the tired to reach Harglen. They are all weary from many days of travel and from the battle preceding our flight. The people of Harglen are going to provide them with food and shelter and whatever other help they can provide them with. I would appreciate any aid you could lend in this matter.”

However, Atleon hadn’t failed to notice Rilos’ reaction to the newcomers’ arrival and he now inspected the Spined Shadow dragon a little closer. What on earth happened to him in that battle? Alas, it was not a question to be asked at that moment in time, thus instead he focused on what the dragon had replied about the armour. “But it helps protect your body? The weight might just be something you need to get used to by training your muscles?” He was a little sceptical but frankly, he liked the idea of being able to give their dragons some kind of protection if they were to face these invaders in their next battle. Which was sure to come.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Wed Jan 15, 2014 11:13 pm

Rilos' meekness was really starting to put Kagan on edge, and not just because he was still feeling the affects of motion sickness; The dragon lacked passion and energy, and he doubted that those had only been lost when he became injured. His mousy attitude wouldn't do him very good, and it is now the goblin's business to whip this strawberry shortcake into a... not strawberry shortcake. Maybe apple? Pear? Pears are hard, so that would do.

Rilos stumbling garnered a death glare from Kagan, but nothing more, taking a few steps away from the half-blind beast and offering a dismissive nod to the two who startled him. "Watch out, the baby is blind in one eye. Wasn't much of a fight that he lost it in, to boot." Actually, that was a complete lie; that lady was a force to be reckoned with, to be sure.

Kagan then butted into the question that Atleon had posed, knowing more about the metalwork than his companion. "It's not really armor, prince. In battle, this stuff is practically useless." He walked around and rapped his knuckles on the thin armor, a hollow clank resounding. "It's more a cast than anything. Enough to keep his bones in place, but other than that." He could only offer a shrug at this. Honestly, he had no clue how armor would really work on dragons; There's never been a demand for it, and he knew that most dragon claws could pierce standard armor. Perhaps with some reworking?

~*~'Timeskip'~*~

With everything in order, the platoon of soldiers packed up camp and began the slow march towards Harglen, wounded soldiers loaded onto eery horse and dragon that was available. The town seemed empty on their arrival, there was next to nobody bustling around outside, and eyes peeked out at them from every window, watching. Ericius led the group to the town's largest inn, where a large man in an apron waited for them, arms crossed and looking sour. This is where the wounded men would be staying and, after payment had been made, they were ushered inside, a doctor and mage waiting to offer treatment. Leaving the men to heal, the rest of the army scattered, finding places to stay while they waited for Atleon to decide on their next course of action.

Last edited by Eldarwen on Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:04 am; edited 1 time in total

He would have to get back to that conversation with Rilos and Kagan at some point. He really did. The goblin had done a rather interesting thing with that protection he had created for the Spined Shadow and Atleon definitely wanted to hear more about such an endeavour, especially now with a war looming on the horizon, they would have to take everything they could get in terms of help and defence. What did the people of Dragons’ Cove know about the offensive act of fighting? Literally nothing! So they would have to be able to rely on a sort of defence mechanism that could keep them alive. As much as possible at least.

For now however, they needed to decide what to do next. Or rather, he would have to. Only, he wasn’t quite sure anymore. The prince had thought coming to Harglen might give them more than just the basic help they needed for their wounded, but he should have known better than to count on these people. Ericius had already prophesised that they were not happy to have the Prince in their midst. They weren’t going to listen to him.

However, they might listen to people who did not wear the royal colours. Moving to the outskirts of town, where they were out of the way of those helping the refugees and wouldn't be overheard too much, Atleon waved the ones who had so graciously offered their help and those who had already helped on the road and in Racksom over to him, and addressed the round:
“Most people here do not like me or any other member of my family. Thus, I would ask this favour of you. Spread the news of the oncoming war, try to find people who are willing to offer their hand in battles we are soon going to be facing, whether they believe it or not. But be careful. Do not turn them away, do not shut them down or give them ammunition to use against us. We would not want our own people to become allies with the very people we are going to have to face. I implore you to use tact, but stay firm in your endeavours. We will need all the help we can get!”

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:49 pm

If truth be told, Rilos didn’t know much about his armour; perhaps in hindsight, that wasn’t for the best, but there wasn’t much he could do about it for now. Later, he would have to actually pay attention to Kagan if he went off on one of his rants about metalworking… the goblin was constantly grumbling about something or other.
For now though, Kagan did actually come to his rescue. He was surprisingly helpful at times. In fact, he was much more suited to all of this than the Spined Shadow was. Could he not just retreat back to their camp they had made out in the middle of the Everplains and forget all of this?

“I crashed into a house,” Rilos mumbled, turning his head back and forth as Kagan walked around, although the goblin was probably right in downplaying the events of Racksom. There was no good in feeling sorry for himself. At least everybody else seemed to vaguely know what they were doing however, which was somewhat of a relief.

==X==

Although they headed closer towards Harglen, the Price stopped as soon as he barely set foot inside the town. Thinking to stay close to Atleon, Rilos stopped with him too. The fact that the streets of a human town weren’t really built for big dragons also might have had something to do with it.
“More fighting? Do you really think so?” The first thought through Rilos’ head was that he really didn’t want to partake in any more battles, especially if that terrifying Sunblaze was going to show up again. A small shiver ran down his back in dislike of the thought, but he tried to push it away. “What are we doing, your Majesty? I mean purely in the sense that, we have been er… separated from everyone, for a while. What plans are there?”

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Sun Jan 26, 2014 9:16 pm

Jackdaww was relieved when the focus was taken of him and the group began to move again. They were getting closer to Harglen every day, so the best thing they could do was keep moving.

For the remainder of the day they continued the long march towards the city. Jackdaww stayed near Measle, so he could lean on the dragon when his half-healed leg became painful, but that seemed almost completely healed by then. He was still astonished by how well the healer had coped with that – he had near enough splintered the bone into tiny shreds, and he honestly hadn’t though that there was enough left to fix it.

The pair of them remained near the front of the column, as the supply carts and their injured companions were taking the back of the line. In truth, Jackdaww was curious about the conversation going on between Atleon and the others too, so if it wasn’t too secretive, he wanted to keep up to date with what was going on.

--

Measle tried to keep Jackdaww hurrying along for the day, as the man had a bit of a tendency to wander off. By the time they reached Harglen, though, both dragon and human were completely focussed. Measle was convinced that they wouldn’t be met well, and suggested to Jackdaww that they help the injured in before entering themselves. Jackdaww’s attire made it very clear that he was a soldier, so Measle’s logic was that it would be better for him to enter after the wounded.

Once most of the column was on their way inside, Measle spared a look in the direction of Atleon and the new dragon-goblin pair. He waited for a moment of quiet, before quietly asking, “Is there anything in particular you would have us do while we are here?” He gave Jackdaww a gentle nudge to make sure he didn’t say anything – Measle was convinced he would only mess things up, and waited to see if there were any direct orders to deal with before leading Jackdaww into the city along with the last of the others.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Mon Jan 27, 2014 8:49 pm

"O'course more fighting. What d'ya think, we can send a box of chocolates an' they'll go on their way?" Fighting was inevitable; whether Kagan and Rilos would participate was up for grabs. The only reason he had helped in the first place was because he had gotten swept away in the action (not the first time he'd butted into a fight, either. Sometimes it's just fun to brawl), and he had taken some heavy blows for a cause he didn't really care for. His beloved pipe! He'd never find a simple, shoddily-carved piece of art like it ever again. Those damned foreigners, coming in like they owned the place and making him lose his possessions. Perhaps he did have something to fight for, to avenge his fallen smokestick from those Surahnian dogs. They probably smell bad anyways, so it would be a service to the world to bury them in a deep hole.

Turning to face Measle and his human, Kagan gave a huff and took a seat at one of the scattered tables, leaning back into the chair. "Yeah, find food. Some entertainment might be nice." Maybe they could find a decent steak. It'd been a while since he had meat that wasn't a small bird or a rodent. Rilos ate everything bigger than his hand, and scraping up enough food for two wasn't easy.

The goblin's sour attitude and rudeness was quickly grating on Ericius' nerves, but he held his tongue. From what he could tell, he and the armor-clad dragon with him had done Atleon a great service, which warrented a begrudging tolerance. He shot a death stare at the green man before turning to Measle, an edge to his voice. "Don't do that, we can have food brought." He could see the goblin throw his head back and groan, annoyed that his request was denied. Good. "I think, for now, we should plan out our next steps," He turned to Atleon, tilting his head, "What do you think?"

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:25 am

For a moment, Atleon just stared blankly at the people gathered around him. What had not been clear in his request for them to get people to help them in a war? What had not been clear in the fact that they needed to spread the news and find more people for their cause? What? Was he speaking another language? Or in riddles?

He really didn’t have the energy anymore to even call them out on it, but he was growing tired of having to repeat himself. And this was only the beginning. He needed some sleep, desperately, but there was no possibility of that goal being reached – not in the near future in any case. Too much was at stake and he didn’t want to sleep only to wake up and find that smug pale idiot staring down along a sword at him.

“For now, we’re doing just what we intended. Get the injured sorted, get a little bit of rest, some food and try to convince people to join us.” A little more emphasis on that last part was necessary quite simply because it was the most important part. It was of no use trying to go against a trained army with just a handful of people, even if there were dragons amongst them as well.

“We need to set up our own army,” Atleon continued as he looked at Rilos, “because yes, there will most definitely be more fighting. If anything can be learned after what happened in Quinsilla and in Racksom, it is that these people aren’t going to stop before they have the whole island under their control. They do not just want one city onto themselves, they want the whole island. And that means your goblin clan will be in for it as well.”
The prince pointedly looked at Kagan, who was sprawled over a chair as though nothing could worry or frazzle him. He was going to learn soon enough as well that the world wasn’t quite the happy place anymore that he still seemed to envision. Though in all honesty, Atleon wouldn’t mind being able to cut himself a piece of that worry-free attitude.

“Once the word here is spread,” he let his eyes wander over the rest of the small group, “we will move to the Academy. We’re more likely to find help there, and with a bit of luck a few Elites will be in residence. They will be able to alert the rest of their troops. But for now,” his eyes rested on Measle and Jackdaww specifically since the man was limping a little more than he wanted to acknowledge, it seemed, “you should get yourselves fixed up. Get some food and some rest. But I do want results by the end of tomorrow. We need to move quickly and we will need all the help we can get.”

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Fri Jan 31, 2014 2:51 pm

Rilos had his head stuck through the window of the building that they had all gathered in, the rest of his body much too big to fit in the room comfortably. This was the problem with humans, they never remembered that dragons inhabited Dragons’ Cove as well, and their structures were most inappropriate. Sometimes he really did wonder why, given that their isle was named after the dragons.
At least he couldn’t see any of the looks given to the rest of his body sticking out into the street, paying attention to the events going on inside.

The conversation wasn’t quite what the Spined Shadow wanted to hear however, when it was talk of what most definitely could be bracketed into ‘war planning’. He wished desperately that everything could have been peaceful again and that he could happily potter around the island as he had always done, but that was not an option any more. Rilos was not a fighter- but he wanted to help.

“Most of us cannot fight at all. We are a peaceful land, not one given to fighting. I do not think finding an army will be easily done…” said Rilos doubtfully, tailing off until he realised that there was no good in negativity alone. “But, perhaps those who saw Racksom will want to fight now. Some of them. I uh, think I am rather unsuited to those things, but erm… others might be better? The Academy, yes. They will know how to fight.”

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:45 pm

Jackdaww looked decidedly confused by the conflicting orders briefly, before his mind managed to catch up with the conversation properly. “Of course, sire. At once.” He bobbed his head – not quite the same crazed bow that the newcomer had displayed, but a disciplined display of respect. With that, he left quickly, making his way through the city streets carefully, still leaning on Measle slightly for support.

Spread the word. Right, that was simple enough. Jackdaww was convinced he could do that properly. As they walked, Jackdaww and Measle between them explained the situation to any passers-by, trying not to make it seem hopeless, but not sugar-coat the situation either. That in itself was difficult, and before long Measle was in charge of the talking, while Jackdaww planned out where they might find rest that evening.

Before too long had passed, they had to stop. Jackdaww could only limp along so quickly, and needed frequent rests. He hoped to be fit again by the time they moved out of Harglen so he could resume his place in the front of the fighting. It was all he knew, and heavens knew that the DDC had few enough real fighters.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:58 am

Atleon wanted to scream in frustration. He really, really did. How could people be so incredibly boneheaded? Stubborn, silly, stuck in their ways and just…

He took a deep breath as he looked into the head of the village’s eyes. For some reason, the two of them had never gotten along. Personal chemistry or whatnot being the ultimate reason for this mutual dislike. As it were, Atleon and Thanis were now staring at each other, neither of them willing to back down, and thus both of them stuck in this room together, trying vainly to have something resembling a polite conversation. And failing hard.

After the others had scattered throughout the small town to do their jobs, Atleon had taken it upon himself to do his and meet with Thanis. It was what custom and manners dictated but neither of them had been looking forward to it. Ericius had already warned him that the people of Harglen weren’t too happy about the refugees’ presence, even less about the prince’s, but he hadn’t imagined his welcome to be so very hostile.

“Fine. I’ll get out of your hair. But you better see to the injured and help them. You can stick your head in the sand all you want but it will not erase what they have lived through.”

Thanis just continued to glare at him like a petulant little boy. It made the prince want to do his head in. The leader barely gave a curt nod but he did. It was all Atleon needed.

“Thank you. The rest of us will move on and get out of your way, but I urge you to mark my words and to consider your options.” Atleon didn’t wait for another reply, knowing full well that Thanis would only want to spite him, even if he did understand the gravity of the situation.

When Atleon stepped outside, his eyes instantly fell on Ericius, who had been close by ever since the prince had parted from the rest of their somewhat able troupe.
“It’s a shame,” he muttered, knowing the dragon would be able to hear even if he didn’t raise his voice. “None of them understand. Heck, none of them even believe what we’re trying to tell them. It’s like they consider themselves so very high and mighty and that nothing can touch them that they prefer to sit around and wait to be run over instead of fight for their homes and their families. Or their own selfish lives at least, if other values mean nothing to them.”

Sighing, he added. “Let’s go meet the others. It’s time we hashed out the rest of our battleplan.” A short and bitter laugh rose from his throat as he briefly put his hand on the dragon’s shoulder before moving off towards where they had previously met and where they were all going to gather again to exchange news of what they had hopefully achieved during the day. He couldn’t believe he had wasted so many hours arguing with Thanis, over nothing! Atleon could only hope that the others had had more luck and that they had managed to gather a few people willing to fight for Dragons’ Cove. The island desperately needed it.

He really hoped that he would be greeted by a pleasant sight and that it wouldn’t only be Rilos, Kagan, Jackdaww and Measle waiting for him, if the goblin even returned. And the prince wasn’t so sure about the others anymore either. They all had taken quite a beating and deserved a break, but unfortunately, Atleon couldn’t give them one. They couldn’t afford it.

Subject: Re: (Harglen) Somebody Help? (25th Board) Sat Apr 05, 2014 5:38 pm

It had been an… interesting sort of day. Not one Rilos wanted to repeat, in retrospect, but also one that he was rather glad had come about. It was certainly one to remember.
After Atleon had dismissed them all, he and Kagan had wandered the streets of Harglen, Kagan his usual cheerful self, with not a care in the world as for what was going on around him, it seemed. The goblin was unstoppable, and unflappable. Rilos, on the other hand, was meek enough for the both of them, and demurely tried to think over the Prince’s words and how they could be put into action. They needed an army; not the spined shadow’s strong point, despite his fierce appearance. He had no idea how to go about collecting an army, especially when so many of them they passed recoiled in dismay at the sight of the big dragon. Paired with Kagan, goblins being a rare sight, they really were something to behold.

Rilos was rather dismayed when he found they started to attract so much attention, wandering through the town trying to do as Atleon had asked and ‘improve’ things (however one went about doing such a thing), that they had grown a tail. Looking back over his shoulder, he only just caught a view of a small night dragon that decided it was a brave thing to leap on his purple tail- thankfully the most intact of the three he had, but unexpected all the same. He gave a small yelp as he felt tiny claws dig under his scales, turning to reprimand the grinning animal.
“How uncouth! It is unkind to leap on another’s tail without their saying so.” This created quite a stir, unfortunately in the wrong way, and soon the rest of the tiny herd of dragons that wandered as a pack through Harglen were using Rilos as a climbing frame.
It was not going well at all, this recruitment; unless, Atleon wanted to wait a few years for these young recruits to grow up. To dissuade them from their first game, the dragon started to tell stories, making them sit neatly in a circle and keep their little bums firmly plonked in the dirt before he continued each time.
Surprisingly, he became rather popular rather quickly; it was not just the children, and not just dragons, that wanted to hear of the fall of Racksom. While some with stories were obviously lying, Rilos had the looks to prove his words, and soon there was a hushed silence over the ever-growing crowd that surrounded him, listening to one tale after the next of what had happened at Racksom, the battle at large, then with a little more persuasion, the tale of what had happened to Rilos himself. Everybody wanted to hear, and nobody wanted the dragon to leave, his account a stark and grim reality.
At least Atleon will earn believers of what had happened in the western city, Rilos thought as he started over a third time, to the largest crowd yet. This may not be an army, but it is better than non-believers and naysayers.

» C1 Racksom~~~~And then, there was War~~~~(5th Board)
» The Destruction of Quinsilla.....T1 (1st Board)
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