#lan darklyn

[starofsin]

And attempt to shake off the rust that coats every bit of my creativity.

[sagoliilynx]

Watching, Worrying, and Planning

It was easy enough to follow Anstarra, it did not seem like she was trying to escape, more like she was wandering in that daze of someone that had just had a life altering shock. He really was not sure if there were any words at all that he could say to soothe the hurt that his friend was feeling. And so he watched, close enough that she would know he was there from his familiar scent of leather and the desert air, but giving her space to breath and think on her own.

This woman was perhaps the singular most important person in the world to him. A long time relationship and many many trials of all sorts had seen to that, he was not about to leave her to deal with this alone.

Lan offered one of the gate guards a polite nod as Anstarra led him out of Ishgard proper, though the guard did cast a brief questioning glance at the white haired Miqo’te woman who did not seem to be dressed for the constant cold. Wisely the guard said nothing, probably chalking it up to her being a Miqo’te? Lan paid that no mind though, continuing his over watch of someone that had her world torn from under her.

This trauma would stick with Anstarra for a long time. And if someone understood that it was Lan, Twelve knew that he had his fair share of post traumatic stress.

Unless Anstarra’s enhanced physique worked in their favor, which very little of anything seemed to work for them these days, she ran a very high risk of losing the child she carried.

And then there was another child to worry about. Nihka’s daughter that was hopefully somewhere safe in sound back in Thanalan with friends. What would happen when that little girl found out what had become of her mother? What would the others think? Sadly the ripples of this was going to tear apart more than just Anstarra. Was Nihka still marked, how would that impact the other marked ones?

The big Seeker finally brought his thoughts back to the present, realizing that Anstarra’s steps had taken her to a place familiar to him as well. Fond memories to be had in this place...but he had stolen the chance to come here to reflect once, after his first wife’s death when he had just wanted to get away. Good, she had at least come back to something grounded for her.

Lengthening his steps to catch up to her, not an easy feat in the snow, he fell in at her side now. And as they had earlier in the night, practiced fingers made easy work of the clasps for his coat and he was able to shrug out of it. Without a word he dropped it over her shoulders, not for the warmth she did not need that, no it was for more familiarity a reminder that he was there.

And then he entered the cave and took a seat on the stone floor. Luckily for him he had a small warmer that he had purchased in the markets, if they were there for a while he would need it. She could keep the coat for all he cared, he just wanted to see her smile again.

That would likely not be anytime soon.

[jancisstuff]

Pie Day Replies!

And another good reminder to send letters far more often.

[renataturner]

Umf for all three.

Renata: "Excuse me, Lan...what the everloving fuck has gotten into you. Too much rum?" Renata grumbled. There was, perhaps, a slight twinkle to her blue eyes, indicating that, on some level, the Highlander appreciated it. (She almost looks like she's flipping the finger in this pic. xD)

Eorla: "Right back atcha, Ser Darklyn." She smiled, a light hint of pink coloring her cheeks.

Alaqa: "....." She arched her brow. Were they going to get to hunting or not?

[ryuuseitearoom]

Opening Night; Ryuusei Tea Room A successful opening night at Ryuusei, where we were honored to host many wonderful guests. A big shout out to @ironleaf-rp for their kind attention and aid, and to @kotone-shimayasu , @winterinmyveins , @zensuke-shirogane , @falconsgaze and everyone that came by and made our evening just as bright! A special thank you to @dreadwyrms / Kitsuno’s aunt, Yui, who made the meals even more magical. 

Here’s to more weeks of delightful teas and new friends to come! Please come by next week, same time, same place! We’ll look forward to it!

[sagoliilynx]

The End of the Beginning (2)

Rak'tika Greatwood. Norvrandt. The First.

Moons ago these things were totally outside of Lan's imagination, never in his wildest dreams had he contemplated another world, let alone one like this. But then he had appeared in this place, bare as the day he was born, and not even sure of how he got here or why he was here. But here he was, and here he had been for perhaps nine months now. It was hard to judge time here with the constant bright light that filled the skies. And only recently had he been able to learn about the Flood of Light and the terrible curse that had befallen this world.

But the constant daylight was perhaps the least of his worries now. This forest housed great beasts, the territorial Viis, and on who knows what else. It was perhaps one of the most hostile environments that he had been in since before the moon fell all those years ago. And his only refuge in this place was a deep cave within the Greatwood, and his only source of protection was a spear he had fashioned from stone, a stout shield crafted of wood, and the meager clothing he had patched together from leather from beasts he hunted. Boy had his life gotten far more complicated and primitive at the same time.

And there was the absence of Hannah, not having her voice constantly chiming in from his head sort of made things a bit more lonely. She had tried to speak to him, but it was as if something was interfering with the odd bond she had with him. A product of being literally worlds apart?

The Seeker sat in the place that had become his home for now, low  fire going toward the back of the dwelling thanks to a natural chimney in the overhead rock. Sharpened branches formed a barrier between the mouth of the cave and any predators that came looking for a meal. For now Lan had his supplies stocked up and could concentrate on making more weapons, and finding clues about why he was here in the first place.

So far he had been able to find that the metallic Book of Blades, a tribal artifact heirloom, had brought him here because there were ties to the original Free Tribe. The tribe had been a small nomadic group of Hume, Mystel, and Elves that had been organized in similar lines to the Free Tribe that Lan's father and mother had founded based on the Book's guidance. There were no signs that the Tribe had survived the Flood of Light, or that any of them had remained when that cataclysm had claimed most of this world.

What he had learned though was that even deeper into the Greatwood there was a site that had at one time hosted a Free Tribe trading post. And between him and that site was a whole green sea of bad things to include dangerous zealots that worshipped the darkness. He could not blame the people that wanted the constant light to go away, but he had learned that some took that to the extreme.

So he prepared himself for a trip into totally unknown territory filled with enemies, and armed with only the most primitive weapons and armor. It should be an interesting trip to say the least…

The trip had been a shockingly uneventful one other than trekking through the dense forest and occasionally skirting patrols of Children of the Everlasting Dark. So within just a few suns the Miqo'te found himself on his belly and creeping through the brush to the site of this supposed ancient trading post. What he finally saw was not what he expected. Broken pillars and arches covered in vines occupied a small clearing, they looked like the same design as the ruins he had spotted elsewhere in the Greatwood. But even more curious was a band of Children that stood in a circle looking down at the ground. Maybe they were in prayer?

Very slowly he shift to get a better look at what was going on, all the while assessing the situation with the eye of a seasoned tactician. There, he could see what they were doing….Staring at a large pit in the ground?

"They hold it fast. Do you think we could turn them into weapons to use and usher in the Dark?" The elf that spoke had grey touching his temples and an imperious look on his face.

A nearby hume shook his head but then paused and shrugged. "I don't know, someone would have to test it…I'm not jumping in the pit with that thing." Pausing in thought he then smiled wickedly. "We can make off with one of the Blessed and bring them here to test it."

"A cunning plan, and easy enough to carry out provided we do it away from their home…." Suddenly the elf turned his head, red eyes sweeping the brush. Uh oh.

Lan barely had time to register what was going on before the melee begun. Children rushed his hiding place with weapons drawn even as he sprang to his feet. He fought with all the skill he could muster, short spears slashing and stabbing, whenever he shattered one or broke it inside the body of a Child he was quick to retrieve another from the case at his back. An outside observer would see just how lethal the lone soldier could be even with the most basic of weapons as the bodies started to fall around him. But it was not to last, his last spear snapped after he drove it through the chest on a Mystel before turning to use the broken shaft to bore into the eye of one last enemy. But now he just had his shield, and he was surrounded. Not for the first time in his life was he staring death in the face, and as he had done so many times before he bared his teeth and challenged the reaper to come and fight.

"Take him alive!"

The voice of the elf rang out right before the blows started to fall. Spears were reversed, branches were picked up to club at him, and slowly ilm by ilm did they batter him to his knees. And then the world went black.

Painful sleep only lasted for a moment though as he was punched in the gut and had his head wrenched up by his hair. He was supported between two Ronso with that Elf standing over him. "Well I don't know who you are, and you obviously are not from the Blessed, but I don't particularly care." He smiled to the Hume he had been speaking with earlier. "It looks like we get to see what happens."

The Hume man laughed and motioned to the guards. "Throw him in, this might pave the way for us."

There was a cheer from the Children that were gathered in the area, either the man that killed so many of them would die horribly, or he would show them a new way of dealing with a grave threat. Either way they would get a bit of a show.

Lan felt himself heaved into the pit, landing with a thud but instinct yelling at him to get to his feet right away. The pit was perhaps twenty yalms across, and oddly it was lined with glowing green crystals angled down as if the hole was a maw waiting for its prey to fall in. As Lan turned to check the rest of his surroundings he realized that he was not the only one in the pit. Alabaster flesh adorned a wickedly clawed hand as something stepped out of the shadows of the far side of the hole. Maybe death was going to get a second go at him today…

[sagoliilynx]

The End of the Beginning (3)

((This is a long one so I will put it under the cut. Also a word of warning, while I edited the graphic stuff out, there is still some obvious indication of self harm. Steer clear if you are worried that it might get to you.))

Once it had been an Au Ra, though it was impossible to tell if it had been Raen or Xaela. At least as far as his knowledge of the race from his home world extended. Here they were called something else, but they still sported the same features that he was used to. Not this thing though, gone was natural skin pigmentation and now flesh looked as if it had been carved from white stone, a statue come to life. The thing’s right arm was malformed, larger and longer than it should have been, and ending with a large clawed hand. It was almost as if the man had started to mutate but that change had been halted. And then there was the eyes, pale orbs devoid of emotion, unblinking as if the thing was a machine with no soul. Maybe it was.

“You better use the crystals or you’ll be dead. Either way it is fun for us!”

Lan was unsure who had spoken, but he still took note of what was said as a plan started to form in his mind. He had little time to consider things though as the monster charged him, that huge set of claws swiping so closely that he felt the air stir in passing.The Miqo’te found himself on the defensive for now, diving and dodging the attacks leveled his way by the much larger and stronger foe.

Someone in the cheering/jeering crowd above tossed down a hand axe and wooden shield, far from ideal equipment, but better than nothing. A dive to the side saw Lan scoop the implements up and ready himself for the next attack, one he met head on now as he took the hit with the shield. The wood seemed to be a meager barrier between him and those vicious talons, but it held and it gave him the chance to counter with a downward swing of the axe, blade biting into flesh at the monster’s shoulder. Of course whatever drove the beast now helped it shrug off the blow, viscous green blood oozing from the wound.

What followed was a flurry of activity as they traded blows, Lan working to avoid as many as he could, while the monster seemed to just take each hit and keep coming forward. It was brutal combat the likes of which Lan had not been a part of in a long time, and deep down part of him thrilled in the life and death struggle with the odds against him. But the tactician’s mind told him that he would falter before this thing did, he would need to end it soon. He had the answer, but implementing that answer was easier said than done.

Lan began to give ground, something that once upon a time his instructors would have screamed at him for, something that would have earned him so many damn flutter kicks as punishment. But those days were long gone, and real warfare had taught him that at times you needed to yield just a bit to gain the advantage. “Force them to hunt me, they will play my game, and play by my rules. I will be close but still untouchable.” That old litany slipped found his lips as his shield was battered and he stepped back a few more fulms, a deadly calm settling over him as the thrill of the battle slipped away. Indeed all emotions started to unravel within his mind, that familiar calm of the inner void engulfing feelings and distractions alike. Supreme focus.

The creature’s massive claw reared back and up to strike another blow on the meager wooden barrier that stood between it and the prey before it. But when it swung it’s arm it struck the top of the side of the pit, a bit of an overhang thanks to the uneven nature of the hole. The lethal hand actually striking a few of the crystals that lined the impromptu arena with a force that saw some of the shards impale the big palm. Color began to drain from the claw, pale aether flowing into the stones. Something that was not unnoticed by Lan. Another piece falling into place even as he launched his counter with a deathly calm that rivaled the monster’s. 

Seizing the opening, Lan hooked a leg with the blade of his axe and pulled even as his own powerful legs drove him forward with his shield leading the way. The monster stayed on his feet despite being staggered by the Seeker it faced. But Lan’s plan was fully realized when his feet left the ground and with surprising agility for someone of his build actually climbed the former Au Ra and kicked off and up. Midair he hurled his shield at the monster, a distraction, and a chance to free his hand before it found purchase one of the larger crystals that lined the hole. Feline grace brought him swinging up above the lip of the pit even though his handhold came loose in his hand. Even in that calm he allowed a sliver of pride to briefly seep through as the gathered cultists  gasped in shock. The Miqo’te was on them before some of them even had time to react, a savage dervish of steel and fist that tore through his enemies. 

Shouts rang out as the shock subsided and Children scrambled to arm themselves and take on that man that had somehow managed to bring so much havoc right into their midsts. But ganging up on a single man was not going to be their only worry as a great claw slammed into the lip of the pit and their other prisoner hauled itself up. Too late did they realize that the acrobatic feat they had witnessed had knocked out more than just one crystal. The strange phenomenon that had held the mutated Drahn weakened enough to let the creature free. And now it butchered them as some fled and others attempted to fight.

Of course the other threat they had to contend with, Lan, was still cutting his way through the few that opposed him. Having acquired a sword to pair with his axe, he did look every bit of a monster himself as blood spattered his skin while he ravaged his enemies. There was a plan behind his attacks though, and it was realized as he came face to face with the Elf that had seemed to be the one in charge, the one that had managed to discover him in the brush. The same Elf that grinned wickedly at him as blade of his own came to hand right before they clashed.

Chaos raged around them but somehow the two men fought undisturbed as if it had been a duel agreed upon. Lan found that this particular enemy was a match for his own skill as a blademaster and theirs was the dance of death only one would survive this encounter. Steel met steel as they clashed with such intensity that blades actually chipped and at times their movements would seem a blur to the outside observer. Bit by bit the Elf started to press the Seeker, and his grin grew as there was an evil flash in his red eyes, he was confident that it was almost over….

Sword came down in an arc that would deal a mortal blow to the last chief of the Free Tribe...hand it connected. Red eyes widened in surprise as Lan used the handle of his axe to block the attack, and those eyes widened more as a shortsword tore through flesh, organs, and bone. Lan buried the blade to the hilt in the Elf’s chest with such force that he felt the crack of the ribs transmitted through his weapon. Victory was at hand as he brought the axe up now, ready for it to deal the final blow. But a hand wreathed in sickly green aether struck like a viper, fingers closing over Lan’s left wrist like one half of some hellish manacles. 

And the sensation shook that inner void, a feeling like a fever accompanied that green energy as it engulfed his hand and begun to creep up his arm. The void collapsed, but that did not signal the end for Lan’s fight as he pulled downward and twisting the still embedded sword, the blade tearing a path through the Elf’s body before finally severing the spine. Like a puppet with its strings cut the Elf finally collapsed dead, vile aether vanishing before his body even hit the ground.

And Lan fled, the leader’s death was not going to go unnoticed even in the chaos of the mutating creature’s rampage. He would not be there to see the monster shifting more and more into a true sineater form, but the cultists would get a front row seat for that change, the last thing many would ever see.

He kept his wits enough to alter his path enough to go to where he had hid before his capture and retrieve his leather bag, the contents of that bag more precious than most anything else he owned. His left arm was starting to go numb as he continued his flight, his sense of direction pointing him toward where his hidden cave would be. Something told him that he needed to get there fast.

“Lan…” 

“Lan…” The voice sounded distant and distorted, like someone trying to call out to him across a malms wide sandstorm.

How long had he been running now? His left arm hung limp at his side, the numbness having creeped upward along it. Why was his flesh darker? It was hard to think, hard to do anything other than run. Something was wrong, very wrong…

“Lan..that is corruption magic...it will spread more until you die.” It was a familiar voice but still so distant.

“Hannah? Where have you been?” As always, it would make him look mad if anyone saw him talking to someone that was not there. Only one other person aside from him had seen the mysterious woman that was able to speak to his mind.

“N..o...t..me...weak co..ion. ...must remove...o..or die….” 

It was harder to hear her now, as if their connection was breaking apart. He staggered over a root as his flight continued and he tried to puzzle out what she was saying. But then clear as day an image flashed in his mind: His arm starting to turn a sickly black, bloated and diseased, and that disease starting to spread to the rest of his body. Another image flashed, the axe he still managed to hold…

He staggered once more, finally stopping to slide down against a large tree. Weary eyes looked at his left arm just as veins of black creeped further upward, almost to his elbow now. In the feverish, exhausted haze he now knew what message Hannah had been trying to convey. Whatever that Elf had used on him was going to spread like a blight through his body, infecting him until he died here on this strange world, not the end he had wanted for himself. Sapphire eyes moved from the corrupted limb to sweep over the axe in his right hand...He either trusted those images and possibly lived, or he ignored them and certainly died. No more battles to fight, no more tribal history to uncover, and hardest of all, utterly alone. Would Anstarra and Nihka miss him? There would be no chance to finally speak with Jancis again as promised….No chance to uncover the secrets of the Free Tribe. Death was not to be feared, but perhaps it was not time for that meeting just yet.

The strap of his bag would make an adequate tourniquet, and his vest could be fashioned into a bandage. He would need a fire too...He stared at the axe for a bit more as the change his life was about to undergo firmly took root in his mind. Would he still be a soldier? 

The sound of someone growling in pain through gritted teeth had been loud enough to travel quite a distance even in the thick forest, and it helped the two hunters find the one that they had been dispatched to locate. The two members of the Night’s Blessed followed the signs and the smell of smoke until they happened upon a small clearing with a smoldering fire. But it was the clearing’s sole inhabitant that they focused on. Slumped over against a tree was a tanned Mystel man with the smell of seared flesh still clinging to him, that smell coming from what was left of his arm. Resting by his right hand was an axe, still bloody from the deed that had been done. “By the Night…” The evidence was clear, and what they could see of the now detached limb made it clear that it had been a matter of survival, and a very painful act. It had to have been awkward to try and wield the axe in such a manner.

The Blessed quickly fashioned a litter and gathered both the unconscious man and the odd metallic book next to him up before setting off. The Guide had sent them to find this guy for whatever reason, and they would deliver the poor bastard, if he survived long enough to get there.

[sagoliilynx]

The End of the Beginning (1)

The pain still lingered, that feeling as if he had been torn apart bit by bit down to his very soul. There had been light and then as if he were clothing something had tugged on a loose string and unraveled him totally. And then there was nothingness.

“Lan…”

The soft alto voice begin to pull him back, back from whatever this was. Was he dead? No there was softness against his skin, surely the halls of the dead would not feel like a forest floor.

“Lan..get up…”

There was an insistence in the voice that made his hand move automatically to his hip even before his eyes opened, but there was no weapon there. And that made his eyes snap open in time to see a spear coming for his chest, not the best sight to wake up to, in a strange place. But that got his senses and brain firing as his hand moved to bat the shaft of the weapon aside as he rolled to the side and gained his footing, his hands coming up to ready himself for a fight against the spear wielding...Viera? Where the hell was he?

“I don’t want to fight you, just let me be on my way.” Despite all the questions running through his mind his voice was that dangerous growl that often warned others that they were playing with fire.

“You are intruding here. Showing up like…” She pauses to motion to him with a sneer. “..like that, I should have killed you before you awoke.” She ended the sentence by dashing forward with powerful strides, obviously ready to gut him now that talking was done.

What in the hells was this lunatic woman raving about?! Lan had no time to give the question a voice though as he had to defend himself from a rather skilled attacker. At the last moment he turned to the side to avoid the weapon his hand burning as it wrapped around the wood sliding past his frame and pulling his attacker closer. And as soon as she was close enough the Seeker’s free hand struck like a viper, fixing an iron grip on her bicep and pulling her down and toward him. Her yelp in pain and surprise turned into a gasping cry as he smashed his forehead into her nose. Now on the attack he launched an assault of body blows against the Viera, who to her credit managed to ward them off despite the teary eyes and pain. The soldier in Lan knew that she might have allies nearby and he really needed to disengage.

Bringing his leg up he kneed her hard in the thigh, so hard that she actually collapsed to her knees. And normally he would have finished the fight with at least another devastating blow to keep her down for at least a while, but something was off. In the midst of the fight his senses had been telling him it was really breezy in this forest, and then that knee had made him realize that his leg was bare...no his whole body was bare!

It was more of a shock than an embarrassment, and he backed up from his attacker. So THAT was what she had meant! Deciding the time was right to make a tactical withdrawal, he spun and started to dart off to the treeline. It was only then that something familiar caught his eye, it was the silvery metallic Book of Blades. Even as he made his escape he managed to scoop the artifact off the ground, just as an arrow struck where he had been a half-moment before. And then he was off, a naked Miqo’te in a strange forest being hunted as an intruder by pissed off rabbit women. This had to be Hannah’s fault...