TS - Day 00 - Noelle's Sandbox.

[Kalamos]

Test thread for Noelle's character.

Here you can develop your character's background and motives before joining the game continuum.

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Another day has passed in the woods, but the day was day. A caravan was riding through the woods. Cipher's men have been preparing this day for a long time. I was suppose to go on the "trip" as well, accompanied by Cipher himself. I was taught archery by some of the others, saying I had a natural talent for it. The troops came marching through,I didn't know to which force the troops belonged, nor did I care. Everything went as planned, though the whole time I just stood frozen, watching the the bandits crush the caravan. Suddenly one of the the soldiers charged at me, it seemed like the captain, his armor was slightly different from the rest. I raised my bow then I aimed for the throat, Cipher said it was the "sweet spot", yet I stood there out of fear...not for my own life, but for my soul, knowing I will take this man's life. Before he swung at me, Cipher showed. The captain proved to be a challenge for the "Great" Cipher. I decided to intervene, I quickly picked up a nearby dagger at tossed it. The captain was dead. That day I realized two things: First, Cipher was not invincible, which meant nothing was invincible. Second, when thta man died that day, a part of me died too.

 

[Kalamos]

And a part of Cipher's pride died too...

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Another slow,boring day. It's been several days since seeing my mother in the dungeons. I was walking through the woods, a part that was unfamiliar to me. The kings' forces have been picking up in the area, more patrols, caravans, skirmishes, and such, but I had to keep clear from them. I was still shocked and appalled by the kings' method of operation when it comes to slaves. Tickling, out of all the tortures known to man, they chose tickling! The wind was picking up and a shiver ran through my back. At first I thought is was the fact that I was cold, wearing my tattered bandit outfit and all. Then, I realized that I was being followed! I couldn't believe I didn't realize it earlier. My hand was ready, placed upon my dagger. All of a sudden I heard horses coming towards me. I jumped into the nearest bush. The horses stopped, they must've saw me. They were searching the area, four in all, and I moved a bit to adjust myself when a twig poked my side, "Eppp!". I couldn't believe it!
The soldiers heard me and came straight to my bush.Quickly I threw one of my daggers, hitting the throat of one on the soldiers. The rushed for me now, pulling their swords. I took another dagger and stricked one of the soldiers in the side, where their armor had left vulnerable. The other two overpowered me and pulled me out.
"Well, look what we have here, another bandit!"
"She's a pretty one though"
"It's a shame to kill this one"
"I'll have none of that!" A man came by on horse. Judging by his armor, he was a captain.
"Let go, you brutes!" I said
"Heh she's a feisty one captain" said one of the soldiers
"Yes, I see..." said the captain, examining my daggers
The captain looked at me " Tie her and take her to the caravan. She'll be placed into slavery." Another shiver came down my back.

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

F.y.i

I'll finish part two in a bit. All of the stories I'm writing now are recollections of the past, to work somewhat of a background.

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

I found myself tied down on a wagon. I was tied by my ankles and wrists. I moved around to see what I could, from a rip in the wagon I saw two men, steering the wagon along. I also heard several horses riding along. From what I could tell, there was probably 5-6 in all. I was in luck, they seemed to have drifted off from the main caravan.

"Hurry along, we must catch up with the rest, I'll shall see to our guest"

"Yes,sir"

The captain come into the wagon, staring at me. He had a puzzled look on his face.

"I don't understand how a woman can survive out here"

I looked away with disinterests.

"hmmm, doesn't matter, you'll be looked after in the dungeons.."

"So young one, what is your name?"

I ignored him, thinking of a way to escape.

"So you decided to keep your tongue? Very well, I shall have you talking in no time. Consider this as a preveiw of what's instore for you..."

The knots on my ankles were cut. Within that same second, the captain sat on my ankles.

"Well you might be quiet as a mouse now, but I shall have you laughing like a hyena soon enough"

I snapped back into reality, realizing my boots had been slipped off.

He stroke my sole, up and down. I bite my lips in retaliation. I bite them so hard, I tasted some blood in my mouth. In my mind, I was focusing on not to laugh.

But I doubt I could last much longer...

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

I hated to be tickled! It was to humiliating.

He stroked up and down, slowly then fast. I couldnt hold in my laughter much longer.

Finally it all came out. "HEHEHEHeheheheahee Oh God!! HEHEHAHEHAAAAAAAHHH STOHOOOHOP IT!"

"heheHHEHEHAH WAHAHAIITT EHAHEH STOP STOP!!! I'LL ANSWER ANYTHING YOU WANT EHEHHAHEHAHEAHE"

"Heh, so now you ready to talk? Well I'm not ready to talk to you right now." He forced a rag in my mouth that was laying in the wagon. He then resumed stroking my soles.

"MHHHMHMHHHMHMHMEEHEHEMMMHMHMHMHMMHHMMMMMMMHHHH!??!?!"

He leaned in and began to nibble on my toes. I was going crazy, I was ready to do anything he wanted to make it stop.

"MMHHHEEEHHEHEMMMMHMHMHMMHMM HMHMHM MMMMHHH!! HEHAHEMHMHMHMM!!!"

Suddenly, the captain stopped. There was yelling from the soldiers outside. The captain left the covered wagon to examine the situation. Then I heard the familiar wisp of an arrow, followed by a grunt. The grunt came from behind me. It must have hit one of the steerers(drivers?). Horses began to gallop up the path. There must have been a bandit ambush and now the soldiers are riding to "greet" them.

This was my chance, so I quickly got up. Now that my ankles weren't tied, it was easy to move about. There was a dagger on the floor. I picked it up with my toes and handed it to my tied hands. I quickly cut the ropes. I looked through a torn hole, seeing the captain and a soldier at the back of the wagon and another soldier by the front keeping the wagon's horses calm. I heard one horse ,trotting closer to the wagon. The two soldiers and the captain meet him in front of the wagon and drew their swords.

"Well, three of your comrades are dead." the man said

"Shall I take your lives as well?"

To be continued...

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

From what I could tell, he was an odd looking fellow. He seemed to be aloof, yet he seemed to be in total control of the situation.

"All I want from you is to release the lady", the man said "I need to have a chat with her"

"She is property of the king now" the captained barked. He order his subordinates to attack, while the captain himself left to get me.

In an instant, the man dismounted and parried the swords. With speed and ease, he defeated the two soldiers and began walking to the wagon.

The captain was about to climb in the wagon. He was obviousily going to use me as a bargaining chip. I stood above him, he realized I escaped. I kicked him in the face causing him to fall onto the ground. Instinctly, I lunged on top of him. My dagger quickly stab through the side, while I covered the his mouth. He, like the others, was dead.

The mysterious man now stood beside me. I quickly dislodged the dagger, ready to this man in an instant.

"Nice work...for a woman"

I stared coldly.His sword was at rest.

"Well, my name is Greed. And I believe we should have a little talk..."

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

When exactly do I join the real deal? I'm ready to join the "game" if allowed.

 

[Kalamos]

This could be a perfect moment: I introduced a non-descript character over here:

-> http://www.tickletheater.com/showthread.php?t=23980

If you feel like it, you could join there.

Quick recap: the group got captured by unidentified assailants.
They could be bandits - but they seem more organised than that.
They could be slavetraders, but they'd be outside their usual area of operation.

Or they could be grunts working for the Varamyn Order.
And you would be the second in command, under a man of Aygosian ancestry, a gaunt man known as Master Denwyn.

On the other hand, you could be a rescuer, sent in by Tharagyan or Rythian nobles, to free Maximos Valerios or Rakelys Drakos Teniel Galthari, Rachel for short.


Your call: whatever role you choose, will dictate your initial alignment within the story.

Denwyn is what you'd call a witch hunter, or an inquisitor.
His duty is capturing Rachel on the charge of sorcery.

Tharagyan nobles of Galthari line want to get Rachel back, and use her as a political pawn, marrying her off to further their own cause.

Rythian, Varythian and independent lords could use her, or Valerios, as a bargaining chip, and ask for a hefty ransom.

Interestingly enough, while Valerios's family might send in somebody to rescue him, and thus help his friends along, Rachel's relatives care nil about her, as long as she can reach the temple safely, so she'd be better off being sold to slavery.

You don't need to decide quite *now*, or be truthful to them when you first meet the group.
Just keep in mind to drop me a PM so I know what your true political alignment is, or what you wish it to be.

Also, you can betray your patron, or leave other players guessing, but I'll leave this to your own deviousness as a player.

😉

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Hmmmm. I'm usually hired to do assasinations for the empire. For this scene, I could be temporarily hired by the Order, after seeing my "resume" and DeNwyn failing the first time. I'm only doing my job, I'm not a member of the order, nor do make any personal relationships with any of its members.



Could me and DeNwyn have two different camps?

If there is anything you'd like to change above, just tell me.

 

[Kalamos]

Denwyn.

You can read something about him over here:
-> http://www.tickletheater.com/showthread.php?t=14546

😉

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Ahhhh! Denwyn is the leader. I can be the secondary in the command then.

Am I another order member? or temporarily hired for the job(preferred)?

Either is fine with me.

 

[Kalamos]

If you read that thread, now you know what Varamyn Order is after: rogue spellcasters.

Darth V already played the role of the first man entering the tent; that is not Denwyn.
Denwyn is a recurring NPC, under my control.
He is a gaunt, slender man, with sharp features, a dry humour and a faint Aygosian accent.

If you missed the History threads, Aygos is the Sun-Elven ancestral home; it lies southwest of Tharagya, a week or two by land.

Bisanthi Vigiles, that is, Guardsmen from Bisanthium, assume Denwyn is either half-elven or elven-blooded.
People usually refer to him as Denwyn T'on Aygos, Denwyn the Aygosian.

All involved players are, to some extent, familiar with Denwyn.
And all have, for a reason or another, a rather low opinion of him, his methods and his ways.

...

Denwyn is probably acting as a liason between Varamyn Order [the Morean Inquisition] and the Tharagyan spy network.
You'd be surprised to know just how effective spies could be, even without modern technology...

Tharagyan spies are especially fond of employing female "misfits" such as Lust: women can usually charm their way in much more easily than men, and they are just as effective at slitting a throat in the dark.

...

Denwyn is skilled as a tracker, and, in layman terms, as a squad commander.
He usually leads a group of 5 to 10 specially equipped soldiers, trained to face exceptional foes - namely, rogue wizards and heretics.
Since Empire religion considers practicing magic for personal, private gain immoral - and dangerous - the two tend to overlap.

...

You would fit as an outsider, a freelancing [ah! 😉 ] agent, temporarily working for Denwyn as additional muscle.

As you [hopefully] read in the last thread, Rachel is *extremely* dangerous, to herself and anybody who tried to tap her magical energies.

While Denwyn told you the bare minimum, you also discovered she is, in facts, a fugitive noblewoman, possibly a rightful heir to one of the Tharagyan thrones.

How you mean to use that information, is wholly up to you.

...

Rachel was being held in a small fort over the Barakis Hills; nothing more than a watchtower and couple of sheds, with a palisade, waiting to be transferred to Bisanthium for further questioning.

While Denwyn was away, reporting in, one of the local noblemen, Tacidius Valerios, had the "brilliant" idea of freeing her, and bringing her to his Villa, outside the capital Bisanthium.

Just arrived with a badly beaten coort of Legionaries, from Kaphraktos, was Maximos Valerios, Tacidius's son and a Morean officer, a Kentarkos.

...

You were in Bisanthium, recovering from your latest mission; your usual contact told you to meet up with a guy from Aygos, in a tavern.
You went and met Denwyn.

...

What I just posted is, roughly, what you are aware of as a character.
People tend to talk too much, so you effectively gained a lot of informations, beyond those strictly afforded by Denwyn.

As Denwyn got back to the watchtower, he found out about Rachel, and had you sneak in with a troupe of dancers and jugglers.

You pulled off a remarkable stunt at knife throwing, and the guests simply loved you.

As the feast went on, you snuck out, and kept following the couple, Maximos and Rachel, from a distance.
They never realised you were there.
You also noticed a group of Ankyras, maid servants, from the mansion, clumsily spying on them, bent on exacting revenge on whom they considered a rival in love.

...

Then the unexpectable happened: somebody else was after Rachel.
Somebody, who had managed to infiltrate Valerios Mansion by night, and capture Rachel under your nose, just as you were sneaking into her room!

...

You've been tracking the kidnappers for hours: they stopped before dawn in what looked like a well defended bandit camp.
Deserters, by the look of their trappings - or very lucky brigands.

Around noon Maximos tried to stage a rescue, but he got wounded and captured up as well.
Suits him well, blundering alone in a bandit camp, without a sizeable backup...

...


EDIT:

Just tell me if you're following me this far.

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

oh so the morean inquisition and the order are one in the same. Okay I understand now, and Darth is playing te same man who kidnapped Rachel from Valerio's estate,correct? The one who received the info from one of his slaves.


So am I to rescue the trio from the mysterious man? Do I lead them away, Under a facade of some sort?

 

[Kalamos]

Yes, I should write a Glossary for you guys.
I keep making up these names from real latin and greek words, but you can't be expected to follow me, unless I make myself clear.

Morean Inquisition is the gaming term.
It wouldn't be called it as such anyway, for several reasons.

The setting name is Varamyn Order.
It comes from the word Flamines, that is, an importart order of Roman priests.
Using some linguistic rules, I made Varamynes out of Flamines, and I gave that name to the highest ranking priests in the Morean Empire.

A small sect of them oversee uses and abuses of magic, in latin and in game terms, Magia, the Art or the Arcane Power.
I went for something clichèd so you guys would know easily, on this one.

The miliant arm of the Ordo Varamynon, the Varamyn Order, hunts for heretics and rogue mages - but nobody knows for sure.
Most consider private use of magic impossible, so the existance of witchhunters is considered by most citizens a tall-tale, a spook to scare kids off.

...

Now, back to your role: we can assume you managed to sneak in somehow.
Either before dawn, or after dusk.

Characters cannot keep track of passing time, so we can fiddle with that easily.
Considering some of the Ankyras, the maid servants, betrayed the Valerioi [the Valerios's], you could pass as one of them.

Careful, though: the servants themselves know you are not one of them, so try and avoid them. 😉

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Interesting, so the some of Valerio's slaves have taken refuge in bandit camp?

If so, I could try a rescue during the night posing as one of the slaves.

 

[Kalamos]

I'm not aware of their plans: they [Darth V and Rachel] had made it up on the go, to spice things up, so it's not a plot twist I'm currently in control of.

From what I could gather, one of the female slaves [ankyras, in morean terms] had been plotting with some bandit guy, apparently a deserter of sorts, to flee from Villa Valerios, the Valerios Estate.

One of those ankyras was in love with Maximos, and Rachel's sudden appearance probably ruined the escape plans a bit - and sure made the servants green with jealousy.

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

wow, it's just a tad messy but I see it now. Well I'm 99.9% sure. So kymis is has just brought in a random slave that left the Valerios estate to adminster the torture for the scene.

*Takes a deep breathe*Do I come during this scene, maybe getting caught by the other real slaves? Or should I try to rescue them at dawn, since the slave is in there right now?

Then again, my character wouldnt know that a simple slave is in the prisoners' tent. *Phew*

 

[Kalamos]

You could take up another slave and have a go at Maximos or Rachel too.
At least three slaves plotted against Rachel; nothing prevents us from having more.

Maybe we could turn a minor slave escape into a full blown revolt. 😉

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Hmmm I could come in posing as another slave, having a lil fun with valerios,rachel, and kymis.

 

[Kalamos]

As the third slave, now.
Cassandra and Kimiko are tickle torturing Maximos already.
It would be a great chance to throw some serious trouble at Darth V... 😉

...

Wanna see how you plan on getting loose, with *three* women tickling ya, man.

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Am I the third random slave or am I still Lust incognito?

 

[Kalamos]

You could be Lust under disguise.

Those guards are getting kind of used to seeing cloaked women sneaking in, to steal a feel from the hunky prisoner.

😉

You could pretend you *are* a slave too.

...

Just hop along before they get all the fun without you.
You're not waiting for me to introduce you, are you? 🙂

 

[tcklsh_Noelle]

Who exactly is Saphyr? I searched through this forum and Saphyr is was only found in the thread where you metioned him/her with me.

Mind clearing it up? 🙂