Saigio on Larrold: “He’s a good man. A bit deep into fel magic, but he wields it well, and it doesn’t really seem to wield him. I don’t see him taking the same path I did, but at the same time it never seemed the start of his path was the same as mine. I don’t think he’s a warlock for the reasons I was, so I don’t think it will end up consuming him. And if he starts to fall, I’ll be there to keep him from the edge.”Cillian on Barry: “Miss the big damn furry bastard. He was good, even before he turned all wolfy. Always nice, him having our back and being there. He was a bit of a downer, but he was over in that mess of a war America had in Vietnam. Godawful mess, any war. And that one was extra ugly from all the stories. Sure, not the ugliest, but ugly enough that I don’t think anyone came out without their scars. I’ll miss him something awful. Pour one out for you, Barry Boy. Until we’re both roasting in Hell.”
Hog on Freebird: “Brother’s good. Might be bit unhinged. He’s too much the mask. But no regret, him being Gangrel like me. No regret. He’s clever, and a good shot. Glad he had our back in that whole mess with escaping the first time. Don’t think I’ll be so lucky this time. Wish I was escaped like him. He’s flying free now. No cage for the Little Bird. No chains. Hope he can forgive me.”
OkayBenjamin on McCullough: “Member of my unit. Former unit, I guess now. Now we’re in different units in different factions, I suppose? Ain’t gonna change much I think. We’re both soldiers still. He’s a good man. Good pilot too. Kinda wish he’d been flying the transport, might have avoided whatever shot us down. Then again, he may not have made it if he didn’t. Guess it’s for the best. Hear he’s the same sort of vampire as I am, which is nice. Most us soldiers got this ‘gangrel’ deal seems like. Must be fate, even if we didn’t all get bit by the same person.”Saigio on Kalvive: “She’s a good woman. I know she has a black mark on her past, and she may not wear steel and carry a sword, but she still has the soul of a knight. She works to protect people as best she can, and its admirable. Not to mention, her mastery of the arcane arts is very impressive. If Jorgai is still set on learning magic in a few years, I may ask her to teach him.”Galorlon on Kalvive: “She is skilled, to be certain. Treachery mars her past, but we all have deeds we’d rather remain shrouded in darkness, don’t we? What truly matters is that she is talented at the arts of war and that her disability doesn’t detract overly much from her physical beauty.”Saigio on Manley: “Now, when I had asked Kalvive if she was secretly a dragon it was entirely in jest. I wonder if some being of fate heard that and that is why the man was one of those drakonid beings. Or maybe it was a big happy coincidence. Regardless he is a noble soul and a skilled cook, both of which I admire. I wonder if he will aid us again in the future.”
[ ] Go back to sleep [ ] Kick you out[ ] Cuddle with you [ x ] Be like “How in the world?”[ ] Let you sleep on the floor [ ] Become angry[x] Offer her the guest bed
If you kissed me (or hugged) I would:
[ ] Kiss or hug you back [ ] Smile and laugh[ x ] Stiffen, and feel uncomfortable [ ] Push you away[ ] Be shocked [ ] Strike you
If you asked me to go out with you for a day I would say:
[ ] No [ x ] Yes [ ] Most certainly not. [ ] Without hesitation.
You are:
[ x ] Cute [ ] Adorable [ x ] Attractive [ ] Beautiful[ ] Okay [ ] Ugly [ ] Am not going to grace this with an answer
You are to me a:
[ ] Stranger [ ] Acquaintance [ x ] Ally[ x ] Friend [ ] Love [ ] Rival [ ] Enemy
I find you to be:
[ ] Pathetic [ ] Off no consequence [ ] Intriguing [ ] Frightening [ ] Unsettling [ ] Annoying [ ] Infuriating [ x ] Pleasant company [ ] Comforting [ ] Unable to be lived without [ x ] Trustworthy
20. In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?
Saigio compares himself to others as a sort of evaluation. Like a “Okay, this person doesn’t seem as bad as I have been, so there is definitely hope for them”
Benjamin usually compares himself in a way of “What is this person better at me?” sense of self-criticism that comes with a bit of either “Okay this person is better at something than me, I should learn from them” or “This person is good at something I can’t do, I should rely on them/let them handle this method of doing things.”
Ana Sophia is pretty deep in the self-validation field since she’s so good at so many things, she usually compares herself to others as herself being superior.
44. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?
Saigio finds it easy to say when he means it. He can’t really say it without meaning it. It’s just wrong for him.
Benjamin finds it hard to say, and really can’t say it without meaning it either.
Ana Sophia finds it easy to say without meaning it, but really hard to say with meaning it.
Saigio uses the Light for enchanting. Superficially it’s like blessing items, but it goes deeper. He worked out a method to replicate most arcane enchanting formulas with holy versions, though there are some limits. Some things he can’t do and some he’s better at.
Cillian writes poetry about his experiences in Ireland fighting the British and the moral dilemmas he faced with the fighting going from his time as a human and after his embrace until the 70s. He occasionally tries to get his poems published but they aren’t very good.
Ana Sophia played pretend as a young girl and acted out the battles that the Vigil and Coterie who fought the Thunderwyrm went through. While she would often switch who she was, the wolfdog that lived with her family, Tio, was always given the role of one of the garou in the group. Being a Very Good Boy, he played the role very well.
If your characters could have a last meal, what would it be and why?
Saigio: Warpstalker steaks. They’re his favorite.Galorlon: Something expensive and decadent and loaded up with lots of alcohol. Because he’s a lush.Aidan: Potatoes because hes’s irish.Ana Sophia: Her mother’s cooking, probably red chile and pork stew.
#1 Aidan Callaghan, my Irish Giant vampire hunter because he pushes peak human physical ability. He runs around with a 6-foot sword, and has fist-fought by the side of Get of Fenris garou twice and managed to hold his own for being a mortal. He’s raw power mostly.
#2 Jotruu, my draenei monk. He’s basically a JoJo’s protaganist. He spends most his time training. He’s super-strong, but not as absurdly powerful as Aidan. Most of Jotruu’s strength is a mix of martial art’s skill and spiritual energy
#3 Saigio. Not super strong, but he’s pretty physically well off. He lets his magic do most the work with his fighting, but he’s also gotten pretty fit from just spending so much time fighting evil.
((A follow up to Samira’s Question that I finally was able to finish writing.))
Saigio walked through the forest, with Samira following close behind. They followed an overgrown path that Saigio had found several weeks ago. He had taken some time to clear the worst of the brush and fallen branches to make it more easy to travel, but he hadn’t counted on the injuries he’d sustained against the Silver Fist’s assault. He still wore bandages and a sling over injuries that slowed him down. The memory of the cannons and the screams rang in his ears, a painful memory he tried to push away of deceit and desperate people who truly thought that killing him was worth their own lives. They’d almost succeeded, and had managed to kill many others in the process. Try as he might he couldn’t understand why such desperate violence had been leveled at him.
He pushed the thoughts aside and looked over his shoulder. Samira had fallen behind again despite Saigio’s much slowed pace. “Come on, Samira! Keep up!” He called out. The knight readjusted the package that hung across his back. A large object wrapped in simple brown cloth that clacked against his scabbard.
“I am keeping up!” Samira said in response, a tone of harmless impatience in her voice. She’d been staring off at the woods surrounding them, caught up in the wonder of the simple forest. She was a growing girl still, big for her age. Not bulky or overweight, but tall and sturdy. The many hours of training and practice she had gone through was showing on her frame. Her hair had been cut short, and she let it hang free, her chain hood draped over her shoulders. A sturdy wooden shield adorned her back and a simple sword sat in it’s sheathe on her belt.
Saigio nodded, smiling at her wonder. When he had been her age he’d lost much of his sense of wonder. Maybe some of it had come from growing up in Dalaran and seeing so many wonders so young. Maybe some had been the devastation he still felt at losing his parents. But she still held hers and it warmed his heart to see her so excited to explore the world around her.
“And here I thought you wanted to strike out into the darkest depths of the forest.” Saigio chided, though the mirth in his voice betrayed the jest. He didn’t mention that the path was taking them to the clearing he used for her training sessions. He would let her figure that out on her own.
“What do they call this place? The forest?”
“I’m not sure.” Saigio answered. “Maybe it doesn’t have a name yet. I never really thought to ask.” He slowed his pace as they started to get closer, letting Samira spend more time observing her surroundings.
“Oh.” Samira responded with a hint of disappointment. “I was hoping to learn more about this place.”
“I’ll ask the next chance I get. I’d like to know too.” The girl had learned much from Saigio and Hodisone, especially a sense of curiosity about her surroundings. Hodisone was always wanting to know more about the places she visited. She often had her nose buried in books about folklore and far off lands. The knight pushed aside a curtain of branches. “We’re here.” He announced and stepped into the clearing ahead of Samira. They had come out of the trees on the opposite end from the path they usually took. A small cabin sat on the edge of the trees nearby, one that was seemingly abandoned but hadn’t yet succumbed to the weight of weather and years.
“Finally” Samira said with a groan of annoyance. She looked around at the clearing, eyes drawn to the cabin for a while longer than usual.
Saigio frowned at the girl. “You wanted the adventure, Samira. We could have stayed home.” Her frustration was apparent, and it stung Saigio. He’d tried so hard to reach out to her, yet it so often seemed for naught.
“I was just eager to get here.” She responded, scrunching her face up in frustration. Saigio couldn’t tell if she meant it or if she was disappointed. As much as he trusted her training, and how she had already proven herself against a lone bandit months ago, Saigio was wary about letting her near any danger. “What’s first?” she asked, staring up at Saigio.
“Lunch is first.” Saigio answered. He patted her head and limped past her to the large rock that stood in the center of the clearing. He set down the large wrapped package and opened his bag. He offered Samira a wrapped sandwich and took one for himself. “I’m starving after that walk. I’m sure you must be too. Come, we’ll eat, then your lessons can start.”
Samira sat on the grass across from Saigio and took her wrapped sandwich. “Have you been hunting again lately? I remember the story about you and that Schatten guy, with the giant corcolisk.” She spoke as she unwrapped the sandwich, punctuating the question with a large bite. She chewed slowly, savoring the taste of the food.
Saigio shook his head. “No.” He answered. “I haven’t had much chance, really. Plus hunting isn’t my strong suit.” He said as he unwrapped a second sandwich for himself. “Unless you count hunting cultists.” He added with a laugh before biting into his meal.
“When was the last time? Other than the monsters and stuff.”
“Oh, it was years ago, I think. Before Draenor. I wasn’t very good. Like I said, small animals and cultists are two very different things to hunt.”
“I got a quail a few months ago!” she announced, beaming with pride at besting the knight in something. “A nice big fat one too!”
“I must have missed that.” Saigio said. He frowned, more at himself for missing his daughter’s hunt than at her action. “I hope it was on our land.”
“Of course!”
Saigio nodded. He and his wife had done their best to teach Samira and Jorgai about proper etiquette and laws, but the girl’s adventurous nature often made him worry. “Good. I’m proud of you, I wish I could have seen it. I bet it was tasty.”
Samria nodded, her mouth full of sandwich.
They sat in silence for a while, the sounds of the forest filling the void as they ate.
“Samira.” Saigio broke the silence several minutes later. “Do you remember what you asked me? A months ago, about your birth parents.”
“Yes.” She answered, swallowing the last of her sandwich and using her sleeve to wipe her mouth clean. Saigio knew she remembered. Though she didn’t speak about it on her face when she was doing her chores or training. It wasn’t plain to most, but it was familiar to Saigio. The pain of not having a family, and of wanting to know more about them after they had already gone.
“I was able to get some answers. Your mother, Hodisone I mean. She was able to tell me what she knew, but I wanted to wait until the right time to tell you.”
Samira stared up at Saigio, leaving the cloth that had wrapped her sandwich in her lap. The crumbs that she had been picking out of the chain links in her mail shirt went forgotten, her entire attention now on the paladin’s words.
Saigio took a deep breath, trying to find the words to tell her. “It can be hard. Knowing who they were with out actually ever knowing them. I want you to know that first.” He paused again and shifted his weight, leaning against the rock. “Your parents, they lived here. Blackmarsh, I mean. Probably in the Dawn. Your father was a lord, a minor one without a lot of land, but a lord still. Your mother, we think she came from Kul Tiras. Or had family there. She died in childbirth when she had
you. Your father died shortly after. Likely undead.”
He didn’t tell her the rumors of witchcraft that had surrounded her birth. The story that it had been a witches curse that killed her parents, and the darker rumor that Samira had been conceived through that same dark magic. It was a story she didn’t need to hear now. The knight knew that it would only hurt her to hear, and that the rumors were just that, stories that lacked any substance and couldn’t be verified.
Samira sat in stunned silence for a while. “Does… What else does she know? Does she know who they were?”
“Not much else.” Saigio said. He set a hand on her shoulder. “But we can look into records together and find what there is. Your mother, birth mother, she was a cousin of some sort of Hodi’s. She loved to sing, I’m told, though there isn’t much else she knows.”
Samira nodded and stared off, her eyes resting on the cottage. She remained silent for a time. A hundred emotions and expressions warred across her face. Regret, curiosity, concern, and more. “R-right. Thank you” she finally said.
Saigio squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll find what we can. Maybe we can find where they lived, or where they are buried.”
Samira nodded and gulped.
“Samira, that isn’t the only thing I wanted to talk to you about today.”
“It wasn’t?” She asked and turned her gaze back to the knight. It was common for Saigio, as Samira had learned, for him to not always fully explain things at once.
“This is your home, Samira. Even if we return to Dalaran, Blackmarsh is where your blood is. When you become an adult, you’ll be a knight, or maybe a noble lady of some sort. But if you follow my path then you’ll need a crest. I never had one.” As Saigio explained he reached back to the rock to grab the package. “I never really thought I would need it. But if we’re staying here, we’re going to need one for the Talorsin name.” He passed the wrapped package to the girl who took it. A smile spread across her lips and her eyes went wide.
Samira eagerly pulled away the brown cloth that covered the object. Underneath was a heavy steel shield. The surface was painted black with a flaming golden chalice in the center. Around the border was a line of red. Saigio patted her shoulder.
“I felt this was the best way to symbolize my mission. To be a light in the dark. The red is for you. Your lineage is here in Blackmarsh. Lordaeron. So red. I have one for myself, it has purple because I’m from Dalaran.” Saigio paused and took a breath before continuing. “I may not have a child that will share my blood. But you, Samira Talorsin, you are my heir. I want you to carry on my legacy. I can think of no better person.“
Samira struggled to contain her emotions. She managed to keep them from overwhelming her, but Saigio could see the joy in her eyes. “I… I don’t know what to say.” She ran a hand over the surface of the shield as she spoke. Silence fell over the pair as she stared at the crest.
“I know we aren’t your parents by blood. We didn’t give you life. But you have brought such joy to our home, and we could be no prouder of you than if you were our own.”
“I… yes. You’ve been the only parents I’ve known.” Her emotions struggled for control, and she found it harder to hold the floodgates back, no matter how well she had been taught. Saigio had less control than the girl. He scooped the girl up in a tight embrace, forgetting for the moment that he wore heavy plate armor. She hugged him back, one arm wrapping around him, the other holding the shield to her side. With her face pressed against his shoulder she let go, her emotions taking hold. The tears she had been holding back flowed freely
Saigio kissed the top of the girl’s head. He didn’t mention feeling her tears on his cheek, he knew it would only make her feel ashamed. “Do you want to train and break in your new shield?”
Samira shook her head. She wiped at her face, brushing away the tears she had let slip through her defenses. “No.” She replied. “I think we can skip practice today. I think I need to take some time to let this all sink in. Father.”
“Of course.” Saigio nodded. His emotions started to take him over again. “We’ll head home when you’re ready, daughter.”
Samria exhaled a long breath. She hugged the shield tight against her body. The look on her face told Saigio that it was a day she would likely never forget.
He knew it was one he would always remember.
