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| >> Campfire Creative >> Fiction >> Fantasy >> ID #1507527 |   |
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| [Introduction]
Chromatia. Among all the Planes in the Great Expanse, none is so blessed with the gift of mana as this one. On this world the five colors of mana run so strong and so deep that they've created incarnations of their ideals, beings that represent that color of mana. Only one problem. All these beings are at constant war to prove their color's dominance. Chromatia. On no other plane is there as much strife as on this beaten world. It's resources endless, the people numerous, the battle neverending. Five great civilizations fight to destroy all the others. Some meet with more success then others, but they all fight viciously to the end. Eleva. A place of spires, castles, and order. Eleva is home to the Archons, the spirit-physical warriors who's skill is matched only by their dedication to their leader. From the top of the highest tower of The Crucible, the capital fortress of the Archons, watches Seer, the Archon of Redemption (He was made before my character Seer BTW). Long ago he led a glorious campaign against the Goblins of the Gob hills. Though the campaign failed, his strength and valor made him known as the greatest of the Archons. Whenever an Archon is born, it is given a title if it is of the Warrior caste. There are three Castes. The Peasant caste tends the fields and the the cities. They farm the food and build the weapons for Eleva's grand armies. The Warrior Caste fill the ranks of those armies. Finally the Saint Caste leads those armies, as well as serving as the spiritual leaders of the Archons, guiding them in their worship of Solilli, the White maiden. Though technically a Planeswalker of pure white mana, Solilli has taken the Elevan's cause to heart and aids them in their endeavors with her great mastery of the magics of protection and summoning. Domias. The cities of Eleva gradually fade into the few grand towers of Domias. Here the land is ruled by the Dominatus, a class of wizards who have perfected the art of control. Most of the residents of Domias can be instantly controlled by their respective Dominatus Lord. The armies of Domias are formed of thousands of commoners accompanied by one or two fantastically powerful mages, who are more then capable of either blasting away or taking the minds of enemy soldiers. The greatest of these wizards is Innes, known as the master of Dominatus. His power is unquestionable, and in a society of power-hungry wizards he's turned more then a couple into smears on his marble hall. His power has given stability to the once fractured wizards of Domias and has caused it to rise in power considerably. It is in contention with only Eleva for the most overtly powerful of the kingdoms. The God of the Domias is rarely worshiped by the wizards, but that's just as well. Innes himself is actually a Planeswalker of enormous power and is in fact the God of the Domiatians, though he does not share it's name. His leading hand is what makes the Domiatians a true force to be reckoned with. Vika. On the other end of Eleva, the farmlands and cities abruptly end at the beginning of the Great Forest of Vika. Of all the kingdoms, Vika is the least hostile, generally having a very small role in the constant war that rages over the land, though Elvish war parties are not a necessarily infrequent sight. On other planes green mana tends to abide in animals and turn them into monstrous, gigantic, beasts of mythic proportions. Not so on Chromatia. There is only one natural life-form on Chromatia that is not Mana spawned. The Squirrel. Thus Vika is a forest made up of nothing but the nut-eating rodents. These squirrels are tended to by the Elves of Chromatia, who have dubbed themselves the Deep Vikans. The society of these elves is simple. Protect the forest. Their leader is known The Guardian of Deep Vika, and is an elf so ancient and venerable that none know his true name. Elvish Society is generally split between warriors and non-warriors, though there is no difference in the level of privilege of either. Any non-warrior is free to become a warrior at any time, and likewise warriors are free to forfeit their bow and blade to live a more benign lifestyle. The Green god is Gaea, the spirit of the plane itself. Gaea is once again, a Planeswalker of pure Green mana who focuses on growth of the land and of the body. She is rather passive, rarely interfering in the battles of the elves and instead focusing on the growth of the forest itself. As the forest encroaches on other lands, the former inhabitants leave it, knowing the fate of those who brave that wood. Gob. The forests of Vika eventually slope up into the mountains of Gob, where the simple yet warlike goblins reside. To understand the Goblins, you must first understand their god. Gob Gob, the Goblin God, is the most legendary of their warchiefs. He is also the only Planeswalker who actually originated on Chromatia. His story is passed down from a matron to her younglings, so that all goblins know the story of their great leader. The Goblins are wholeheartedly devoted to their god, beyond even reasonable measures. The first name of every Goblin in Gob is in fact Gob, the name of their God. They even names their mountains that. Gob Gob leads his warriors into battle down against any of the other lands, his raging hordes caring not who or what they destroy. The ultimate desire of a goblin is to die in battle behind their Warchief. The Goblins are a simple people. Their land is incapable of supporting crops, and has little Game, so they are forced to raid other lands of these necessities. They're usually regarded as little more then a nuisance. That is unless Gob Gob leads the Warband. The mere presence of their god drives the goblins mad, turning them into little engines of death that fight everything. The Goblins tend to live very short, explosive lives. Fortunately, their birthrate is matched only by Vika's squirrels, and their matrons never go to fight themselves. Patek. The last of the Lands of Chromatia, Povek is a land of swamps and decay. Here dwell the Thrulls, terrible creatures that resemble the mud they dwell in. They can take the form of anything from a Frankenstein-like monster to a innocuous toad. Thrulls are the least intelligent of the Specieses of Chromatia on average, but fortunately that rule has exceptions. The Thrull leaders are mutated thrulls that were born with exceptionally large brains and better resemble an intelligent being. The thrulls are Led by Parracida, the mistress of Betrayal. Her story is the most interesting of any being on Chromatia. Parracida is actually an Archon, and was wed to Seer before she, for some unknown reason, left him and fled into the swamps of Patek. Whatever her reasons, she is quite formidable and is one of the most intelligent and cruel beings on the plane. The god of Patek has no name, though he is a Planeswalker of pure black mana and embodies one thing. Death. He mercilessly slays both foe and friend. The Thrulls fear him almost as much as his enemies do. And these are the people of Chromatia. Their battle has been long, and minds aren't apt to forget the crimes of the past. But now, everything will change. |
 Albireo Dreamweaver  Name: Riveval, Archon of HumilityColor: White Age: 60 (Extremely young for a warrior by Archon standards)(Roughly equivalent to 22) Height: Six feet flat. Average height for an Archon Weight: 110 Pounds. Archons are much lighter then they appear. Appearance: Riveval has eyes that are exemplary even among the Archons. They lack pupils completely, and are instead molten pools of pure gold. His hair is the fiery blond-gold color that is so common among his people. His face is well formed, and he is quite handsome, though it is marred by a burned in sigil on his right cheek, a mark of vast shame among the Archons. He wears leather armor as opposed to the more common chain or plate mail. He is slight of build, never having achieved the muscles of some of his peers. Weapons: Riveval is proficient with the bow and his trademark weapon, a scythe. His bow is nondescript, it being standard issue. His scythe has two blades, a long keen edge on the primary side that is quite apt at hacking through unarmored enemies as an average scythe cuts through grain. Extending from the opposite end is another blade, this one much more dull but it's point is much more reinforced and it is thicker overall. This side is for puncturing armor and is well made to still allow the scythe to be withdrawn after the blow is struck. Between the two blades is a connecting piece of metal that has Riveval's sigil carved into it along with a few spike protruding off the end to catch weapons. History: Riveval was always inquisitive. His parents never really knew what to make of it, and never had time to really make a plan for his development. They were both distinguished warriros and were almost always away from home. Unfortunately, Riveval didn't do well in the Archon's military academy. Not that his record was bad, in fact he was one of the best students to ever go into the Golden Halls (The Archon's military academy). The problem was that one day he asked why. He asked why all the kingdoms fought each other. That got him expelled from the academy and earned him his sigil of disgrace, the one burned on his cheek, as well as his name, which is quite an insult among the Archons. Due to his parents high rank, however, he was not simply cast out of the military. He was given command over a remote corner of the land, a tiny place surrounding the village of Heim and border by both the Mountains and the Great Forest. Here he lives now, the sole warrior defending this land that occasionally found itself under attack my a small warband or maybe a group of elves. Overall, his life is far different from the glory filled campaign against Domias that most Archons wished for. Personality: Riveval is quite amicable, easily getting along with most anyone. He is also steadfast, and will defend a friend of his until death. Unfortunately he's also inquisitive and headstrong, following the path of his choice until it's ending. Erulastiel Name: Thandiel "Andi" Beriadanwen Age: 264 (A fully grown adult, but not extremely old. Elves reach adulthood at 100 and then stop aging.) Height: 5'10" Appearance: Like most elves, Thandiel is extremely slender and appears almost delicate and breakable, but seriously, she has worked hard all of her life and is stronger than most men could claim. She is extremely graceful and light on her feet, making no noise no matter what surface she walks on. Thandiel’s hair is long and wavy, reaching almost to her waist and is a rich tone of chestnut. She usually wears her hair loose and free, but will pull it back in a tail if it gets in the way. Her eyes are pools of deep green, almost black, but with sudden flashes of emerald. They are extremely expressive, but she is capable of hiding her emotions if it is necessary. Her skin is mostly flawless, with only a few scars to show that her life hasn’t been spent in a palace, and is tanned to a golden brown. Her features are exceptionally beautiful, as with all of her kin, but she has a hint of wildness and stubbornness that is rare. For clothing she wears an outfit of rich, earthy colors that blend perfectly into the forest. It is extremely practical, durable, and allows for almost limitless movement. Over that, she wears a cloak of the same sort, and becomes nearly invisible in the shadows of the trees when the hood is hiding her features. On her back she carries a fine bow and a quiver of arrows fletched with white feathers. She also carries a finely wrought sword at her hip and has quite a few knives hidden in sheaths all about her person. History: Thandiel was born on a beautiful day in the middle of the autumn, when all of the leaves were changing colors and dancing to the ground, as if celebrating the birth of the tiny infant. Her father was the most important and well-known warrior among the elves, and her mother was a healer. Her father was rarely home, always off in some battle or planning a raid. He was just about the closest thing you could find to a fiery and aggressive elf. He didn’t just believe that the forests should be protected, but that they should be expanded as well. So, for the first twenty five years of her life, Thandiel stayed with her mother, learning the ways of a healer and how to preserve the life around her. As will all elves, one important fact was thrust upon the young girl: that creatures from other areas of the world were evil and not to be trusted, no matter how fair they seemed. When Thandiel was still young, she and her mother were gathering a special herb that grew only on the edges of the forest, right on the borders of the goblin’s territory. However, they were ambushed, she and her mother taken captive. By the time that rescue came, Thandiel’s mother was dead, and Thandiel herself tormented almost to insanity. As broken as she was, Thandiel was still young and healed quickly, able to function fairly normally again after a few months back at home. Her father, feeling the loss of his wife and regretting the fact that he never had a son, started training his daughter to be a strong warrior. For over a century, he molded his daughter into a warrior and leader just as great as he, if not more so. Still, he did not wish to risk her on the front lines of battle, instead giving her a position that was seen to be just as honorable, but quite a bit safer. She patrols the border of Vika that connects to Eleva and Gob, in charge of destroying small bands of foreigners that enter her land, capturing any camps that are too close the border, and sending warnings of approaching war parties to the other warriors. Her skills in healing are a huge asset to her, and she is known to be skilled in that art, although she is certainly not the greatest. Personality: Thandiel is much like her father in personality, she is unusually fiery for an elf, especially for a female, who often prefer the non-warrior life. She has a quick temper and is quite stubborn, but her temper dies out quickly and she will admit she is wrong if you can prove it. When she loves, she loves with all of her heart and soul, and she is incredibly fun to be around once you earn her trust, though that isn’t easy. She is very friendly, compassionate, and fiercely loyal to her people, but she holds a prejudice against all other races, simply because that is what she has been taught. She believes that other races are a nuisance, but really holds no true hate for them, except for Goblins, whom she loathes with a flaming passion. She can be level-headed when she must be, especially when fighting, a trait that her father insisted that she develop, but she prefers to be impulsive and sometimes can’t help but act from her heart instead of her head. She has been well trained, taught to tolerate pain and to fight with incredible skill, and you would think her to be the perfect warrior…but deep inside, does her rebellious nature still have a hold? Under her polished exterior, is her heart still too soft and her mind too open for her own good? Albireo Dreamweaver (For some reason it went unmentioned that Riveval goes by Revi...I had planned to put it in there...Oh yeah, and higher ranking Archons have wings... another thing I somehow missed...)The sun found Revi still asleep. For being in the military, he sure always loved to sleep in. No one begrudged him that luxury in this backwater village though. The Elves rarely invaded and the bright sunlight drove the goblin warbands away better then any weapon ever could. An hour later Revi awoke. He stretched out arms, legs, and wings. He yawned, preparing himself for another boring day chasing rabbits and digging up moles. He honestly regretted the turn of events that had landed him in this village in the first place, living the most boring life he could imagine for the past twenty years. He wiped the sleep from his eyes as he turned to the small mirror that sat on the desk in his room. He was still beautiful, but that's not what he looked for. Every morning he stared into that mirror, hoping that the mark on his cheek was just a dream and that he would wake up in the academy barracks one day. It wasn't this day, nor was it any of the 7300 before. Revi stood in a daze. He was always bad at waking up, especially since each new day really gave him no incentive to do so. Slowly he dressed himself in tunic and leggings, then donned his toughened leather armor, making sure to check his flexibility. Leather had a way of getting stiff at times. Stiffened leather armor would get you killed in the field. Revi's lessons at the academy never left him. The armor was good, so Revi started his morning exercises. Archon's believed in having a balance of soul, mind, and body, and their training styles reflected this. Revi remembered some of the more strenuous academy exercises, where he was once forced to fight against his instructor with a hand tied behind his back and while reciting verses of the Holy Statutes. His daily training was not nearly so strenuous. He merely did some simple physical exercises while devoting his mind to solving some difficult logic problem. After a half an hour of this he turned his attention to the Holy Statutes and read of the divine word for another half an hour. After all this he finally emerged from his home, prepared to meet the day. Normally his day consisted of wandering around looking for the occasional farmer in distress that might or might not have a legitimate reason for it. Today was different though. Today was a day of fate. “Mer, Mer! Revi!” Revi heard shouted across the village square. Running down the path towards the village was an older farmer by the name of Dirty Alan. He was perpetually covered in dirt, just like the hogs he raised, and seemed to always smell bad. IT was widely accepted that his was the best bacon in the area, though. Normally Dirty Alan was pretty reserved, but today he was running towards Revi with reckless abandon, pushing and shoving others out of his way in his haste. “Revi...Goblins! My home! Burning....Looking for food...Save my Hogs!” The poor man gasped out between his heavy breaths. But nothing more was needed, and before he finished Revi had already taken to the air, Scythe in hand. Dirty Alan's farm was on probably the most insecure land in the region. It was nestled right between the mountains and the forest, connected to Eleva's plains only by a narrow strip of land. Even from a distance Revi could see smoke coming from the direction of the farm. As he approached, though, he saw that it wasn't all coming from the farm. The forest was burning too. A warband of goblins were running around everywhere, burning everything that could support flame. Their leader was a shaman who bore unimpressive markings, showing that this band was from a relatively weak clan, nothing like Gob Gob's elite warriors that harried central Eleva. Revi made a quick count, noting about a score of the little green humanoids. The odds are almost fair... He thought to himself as he readied himself for battle. He spilled air from his wings, allowing himself to dive down at tremendous speed towards the first Goblin. He whooped as he picked up speed, feeling more alive then he had in quite some time. The doomed Goblin turned just in time to see the blade that cut his head clean off. Revi spread his wings and steadied himself before he hit the ground, instead coming to rest with his weapon already a blur, swinging across to block the clumsy torch swing of one goblin then coming across in another arc to cut that Goblins foot off. Finally he caved in the Goblin's face with the but end of the scythe, even as it's blade severed the arms from another. Goblins poured at Revi from every direction, but they fell like wheat before his skills. One goblin did manage to embed a crude dagger in one of Revi's wings before the pointed end of the scythe split his skull. Half the goblins lay dead before Revi found a challenge. From the farmhouse camea Goblin in full plate, wielding a bastard sword with some skill. The shaman yelled and pointed at Revi, grabbing the newcomers attention. The response was swift. Revi recognized a Goblin champion when he saw one, and prepared himself for a hard fight, as the armor and sword showed that this one was trained by Gob Gob himself. Both of their opening blows resounded through the battlefield, though neither gained anything on the other. The goblin was quick, Revi gave him that. Each cut of the scythe found itself blocked by the blade, and Revi found himself sometimes only just able to dodge the return swing. But Revi had one huge advantage. He swung his scythe in a full arc, then swiped at the goblins head, meeting the sword as intended, but instead of moving to block a riposte, he instead took to the air briefly, and curved his blade down the sword and around. With a shriek the Goblins hand was cut off by the scythe's motion. Revi ended the fight quickly, running the goblin through the heart, though not before the goblins other hand had drawn a dagger and embedded it between Revi's ribs. He cursed his carelessness even as he felt blood drain from him more quickly then he would like. He landed, then turned as he heard a cry of triumph. He turned and faced down the goblin shaman, who was about two meters away. The goblins proximity would not be nearly so alarming if not for the formidable crossbow he was wielding. And at that range not even a goblin would miss a lethal shot. Combined with the 6 more Goblins lined up behind him, Revi knew he had met his limit. The wound was starting to drain him, and he found his mind slow and his scythe much heavier then he remembered. He dropped his scythe, and faced death nobly, his eye closed so as to not see the deadly bolt. An earsplitting cry went through the field, but it was not his. He opened his eyes and found the shaman dead, an arrow through his throat. Two more goblins fell dead from similar wounds, and a slender form burst from the trees nearby. She fought with a grace and skill that was almost as stunning as she was, and she made short work of the four remaining goblins. Revi felt his vision fading as she approached him. He recognized her as an elf, and figured she would simply kill him. He closed his eyes, once more ready for death, but no death blow came. Instead she helped him down and staunched his wounds from a vial she carried. Who was she? And why had she saved him? Both of these questions echoed in his mind as he wondered at this woman who would want to save someone of an enemy race. She shared this trait with him, and it was only slightly dominant to the fact that she was also the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and Archon woman are known for their beauty. All of this rattled in his head as he lost consciousness, feeling only her soft hands stitching his wound. Erulastiel Well, this was not how Andi had planned to spend her day. The skin of her hands was scorched yet again as she fought to stop the fire from spreading any farther into her beloved forest. It was her duty to protect it, more important than her own life. She could hear the cries of goblins nearby, probably at the farm near the edge of her territory, but she paid no mind to them, they weren't interested in the forest, so it was doubtful that they would enter it. They knew the penalty. The cries of the trees echoed in the elf's ears, but she could do no more than stop the fire from doing any more damage, the trees already ablaze were lost. Her heart ached with sorrow, and then burned with a deep need for revenge. The willowy girl moved through a group of trees that was already finished burning, ash puffing up in clouds wherever she stepped, walking toward where the goblins still destroyed. At the very edge of the treeline, she stopped, gazing out at the scene in front of her. Somebody had obviously beat her to this party.Thandiel settled herself into a comfortable squatting position to watch what was going on. A good amount of goblins lay dead on the ground, their blood pooling in the grass. Their killer was very clearly an Archon, marked by his wings and the style with which he fought. He was pretty impressive actually, and Andi watched with great interest as he slayed a goblin warrior that could only have been trained by Gob Gob; not many people could brag as much. However, when a knife slid into his chest, Andi could hardly stiffle a gasp. She knew that she shouldn't be upset by that, as he was an enemy and if he died it would save her the work of killing him...but she couldn't help it. He had been so brave, fought so well, and he didn't deserve to die at the hands of such inferior creatures. He was even facing his death with as much courage as her father might. She couldn't let this happen! Wait, wait, wait....was she actually thinking about helping this Archon? That was not acceptable! But still...it would be enjoyable to ruin the goblins' fun by saving their prey... With that excuse in mind, Thandiel allowed an arrow to soar through the air and bring down the shaman, who was just about to release his own missle. Drawing her sword, Andi shouted one of the battle cries of her people, and proceeded to kill the goblins easily. Really, they weren't exceptionally strong, and she was sure that any of the elven trainees back home could deal with them. When she finished a few moments later, Andi wiped her blade on a patch of clean grass, sheathing her sword and turning back to the Archon. He didn't look well...the blood loss was taking a major toll on him. As she approached him, she saw how he shut his eyes tightly, obviously expecting his death. One part of her knew that she should kill him, as was expected...but she found that she couldn't. Maybe it was the healing instincts from her mother, or maybe it was simply because she couldn't let a brave warrior die outside of a battle. She told herself that she would challenge him to combat later and kill him honorably. If he was going to be alive for that, she would have to save him now. Nimble hands reached out to him and eased him into a more convieniant position, cradled in her arms. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a vial, applying some of its contents to his wound; it would both slow the bleeding and ease some of the pain. Then, she did a rough stitching job on his wound, planning on doing a better one later, at a safer location...she would deal with the other wounds then too. She was glad that the man had lost consciousness, that made things far easier, as he wouldn't put up a fuss when she took him away from Eleva. From the look of things, the man had been alone, so she didn't think that anybody would search for him, assuming that he was dead. Thandiel stood, the Archon still in her arms, much lighter than she had expected. Normally she would have burned the foul bodies that rested around her, but this was not her land and not her duty. Let the Archons who lived here deal with it. With one last look around, Andi shifted the man's weight in her arms and headed back into the dense forest that she called home. ~~~~~~~~~~ Andi leaned her back against a fallen log as she sat, her piercing gaze upon the sleeping figure of the Archon. He lay nearby, close enough for her to reach him quickly if she needed to. He had slept all day, courtesy of some herb that Andi carried with her, and now darkness had settled around them. The moon's glow was hidden by branches, so the only light was from the fire that the elf had started from dead sticks. Even elves knew that the use of wood was sometimes necessary, but they used it wisely and with only the greatest care, unlike most other races, who killed trees without thought. All of Revi's wounds had been tended to, and although some of them would be sore for a few days, all but his chest wound were completely healed. The wound in his chest was properly stitched up and bandaged, and the rest had been very shallow, easy work. She had been slightly worried that blood loss would kill this young warrior, but with her care, he would make a full recovery. She had brought him far enough from the border of Eleva that no searches would discover them unless the Archons decided to risk going deeper into elf territory. She doubted that they would, and even if they did, she would know about it long before they got close; the trees would tell her in their soft voices...whispers that only elves took the time to understand. As Revi slept, Andi studied him, curious. This was the first Archon she had really been close to...the first living one that is. His face was peaceful in sleep, pleasant to look upon. He was very attractive, she found, far more attractive than the elven boys that she was used to...but she admitted that to herself reluctantly. His hair was a shade of gold that shone like the fire, and she was strangly tempted to run her fingers through it to make sure that it didn't burn. She had taken off his armor and his shirt so that she could tend him better, and could see that he was nearly as slight as an elf, though in her experience, Archons were more muscular. Not wanting to disturb the placement of the bandages that wrapped around his chest, Andi had left his upper half bare, placing her own cloak over him to ward off the night's chill. Even in the flickering light of the small fire, he was perfect enough to make Andi blush, though she told herself it was the heat of the flames. Well...almost perfect. The only thing that marred his beautiful features was a strange mark on his right cheek. She wondered what it could be. She had never seen it on any of the other Archons. Unable to help it, one gentle finger reached out and traced the mark on his face, her touch lighter than a feather. He stirred slightly and she drew back, facinated as his eyes fluttered open. They were strange eyes...beautiful eyes. Her gaze was drawn to them. At first, those brilliant eyes were clouded, confused, but then they focused on her, questioning. With very little expression on her fair face, Andi put a gentle hand on his shoulder, stopping the man from sitting up too quickly. "Greeting, Archon. I am Thandiel. Do not move too fast. Your wound will heal, but do not strain it right away. It would not be wise." Her voice was calm and cool, with the faint accent that all elves had when not speaking in their own strange tongue. It caused her words to rise and fall as she spoke, sounding almost musical when paired with the melodic tones of her voice. Albireo Dreamweaver Revi really didn't know what to say. She wan an Elf. AN ELF. And here he was, bandaged and taken care of, not dead. HE had expected her to kill him, yet now he found himself deep in the forest with only the beautiful woman as a companion. Why? He couldn't understand. There was a small fire burning, made from only dead shoots and branches. IT gave off a pleasing warmth for the chilled Revi. The cloak did little to ease the cold, it being woven from some strange fur that was not as good at holding warmth as the Aurochs fur he was accustomed to. All around him the trees groaned and shifted in the slight nighttime wind. A whole different world from his open farms and plains. Far away he heard the chatter of a squirrel as it called to its fellows, and even more faint was the sound of an elvish hunting horn, coming from what seemed like hundred of miles away. The experience overwhelmed him, and he came back to himself quickly, catching the elf womans eye's on his mark.“I am Riveval, the Archon of Humility. I am least among the Saint Caste of my people.” He laughed quietly to himself as he tried to explain something that made little sense even to him. “Almost 20 years ago I questioned the order of our world in the academy, and for that crime I was branded with this mark of humility and cast to the lowest ranks of my caste. They put me tending the remote village that those Goblins attacked, the first action in years. The mark is simple. It's a crescent moon with an H inside of the spokes. It brands me as a heretic to the teachings of Solilli, though I believe todays order is not what the goddess intended for our world. Anywhere else and you;d of already killed me, because that's what elves do to Archons. They kill them. Just like they do Goblins and Humans and Thrulls, and no one know why, they just know that's the way it is.” He laughed softly again to himself. “ I suppose I've spent too much time preaching to you Thandiel.” “Andi, please.” the elf corrected him. He found her accent exotic and it only increased her standing in his eyes. “Well. Aren't you going to kill me?” He asked as he started to rise and reach for his sword that lay cast away by his armor. He flexed his wings quickly, feeling the feeling return to them as he did. Before he could fully rise, though, Andi pushed him back down. “No.” She said flatly, though it seemed her words were guarded and that she doubted them herself. “Why?” He asked, genuinely intrigued. “I...I won't kill an unarmed foe, and not one injured either.” She claimed, though she turned away and Revi saw her blush, her somehow tanned skin (She lives in a forest. Forever. How did she get tanned exactly...?) lit up red. He could hardly blame her. He would never of killed her either, so taken with her was he. “So. Does that make me your prisoner or your companion?” He asked softly, not really expecting an answer. She regarded him from the corner of her eyes, still trying to hide her blushing. Finally she answered. Erulastiel "You're...both, I guess. I mean, I'm not going to bind you and torture you...but we're not to be friends. And if anybody comes along, I will kill you. I cannot have myself disgraced as you are. It would kill my father." She was flustered, tongue-tied, her face still crimson. Andi wasn't used to such internal confusion. Usually she was quick-witted and always knew what to say, even when everybody else was struck dumb. Now, this stupid Archon! Her enemy was making a fool of her. Even though she didn't like it, that title of "enemy" kept popping into her head. She supposed that was what happened when that was drilled into your head from the time of birth.Seeming to sense her awkwardness, the Archon attempted a smile, "Thank you, for not killing me." "Argh!" Andi leapt to her feet and started pacing by the fire like a mad beast. She couldn't deal with this. Nobody had told her that she would actually like an Archon when she met one. But she did like Revi. He was polite, and almost innocent, though she had seen him on the battlefield and knew what he could do. "Are you alright?" "No! I'm not alright! Don't thank me, because I will kill you as soon as you are well! Don't act like you care either! You're my prisoner....you should be my prisoner..." Andi took a deep breath, allowing herself to calm down and her voice from turning to a shout. "You are cold, Arch-...Reveval...I forgot that your people are not used to the chill of the woods. I'm sorry to say that I do not own any warmer clothing...but come, sit closer to the fire." The elf watched as the man nodded and slowly eased himself to his feet. She could tell that he was still in some pain, which was to be expected considering what he had been through. When he reached the fire, she moved to his side, putting his arm around her shoulders and helping him into a lounging position. She shuddered at the touch of his skin, but whether it was from loathing or not was impossible to say. She sat beside him then, not looking him in the eyes, staring at the flames, her voice barely above a whisper, "I haven't been branded as a heretic yet, but it probably won't be far off. And you'll think that your little mark is nothing compared to what the elves do. So few of us go against the rules that when somebody does, its equal to treason. But I'm just one of those people that will eventually get into trouble." "Why?" "Because, I ask that very question." She sighed, wrapping her arms around her legs, looking very small in the deep shadows that surrounded the two of them. "You see, I'm a warrior. I have been trained to kill the enemies of the elves. That has always been my purpose. The problem is, I don't know exactly who my enemies are anymore. I know who they are supposed to be, just like I know that you should be dead...but for some stupid reason, I can't do that. I fail as a warrior because I cannot always kill who I'm supposed to. It will only be so long before people find out that goblins are the only things I can kill without regret. Then, I will be punished." Gee...she was being WAY too soft and vulnerable. Considering she was going to let this man heal before she fought him to the death, he was going to be strong, and she was going to need to concentrate. Being vulnerable was not the path to victory. "That is why I'm going to kill you...later...when you can fight back..." The words sounded lame and hollow in her ears, and she hoped that it didn't sound that way to him. "Is that really what you believe...that everyone fighting is wrong? That it wasn't what was meant to happen? I mean...how could everybody else be wrong? How could it be that one person could see the truth that nobody else, not even the elders, understand? That just not...reasonable. I'm not the most logical of people all the time, especially for an elf, but even I have a hard time accepting that." Once again, she looked at Revi, her dark green eyes begging for an answer, trying to suppress the hope that he had a good one. Albireo Dreamweaver Revi was quiet for a moment as he considered his words. He wasn’t quite sure, but he knew that wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. He stared into the crackling flames as he finally spoke. “It’s like…I’m not saying we should all be friends. The Goblins and the Thrulls stand against everything my people are. Like the goblins are given in to wild passions, and it always is what they want to do. We Archons live for order and structure. The Thrulls are independent. They put themselves above everything else, hence why you only need fight one at once. We archons stand for the whole above the individual; the selfishness that the Thrulls live by is anathema to our people. I’m not saying we should live in peace with THEM. But even your people…You defend your woodland home with a fierceness that would make and Archon proud, and you seek to do what is right, just like we do. Even the followers of Dominatus are like us. They seek to find order from the chaos, just like us. It is only the method which differs.” He turned to Andi then, meeting her eyes with his own. “I just don’t think it needs to be an eternal war. I think that Elf and Archon can live side by side. Why could I not share my land with the humans? Just because we believe differently doesn’t mean we have to kill each other over it…” She turned away then, but he continued to stare at the back of her head. And he smiled to himself a bit. “Why can’t I be friends with someone different from me?” He asked. He slowly reached his hand over and rested it on hers. She turned to him for a moment; then turned away and swiftly stood and began walking again. Andi lowered his head and stared back into the fire. “Why can’t it be that way…?” He whispered to himself again. He nodded his head slowly in rhythm to the flame, and slowly started humming to himself. HE stretched his wings again and lay back, using his wings as a blanket of sorts, folding them up under his head to serve as a pillow. He pretended to sleep, but was instead watching Andi pace, admiring her, yet certain inside himself that they would be separate forever. Erulastiel Andi felt a chill move up her back at the memory of the Archon's humming before he drifted off to sleep. That song...The elf looked at him again, Revi appeared to be deeply asleep, his head resting on his wings. Feeling a little more confident now that nobody would hear her, she started to sing. The song went to the same tune that Revi had been humming, but was sung in elvish. It was a popular song, one that was sung over and over while people worked. Even warriors were known to hum it to themselves while marching, simply because they had heard it all of their lives. Andi continued pacing, her voice grew a little louder and she switched to the common tongue, translating the song from her language as she went. The words flowed just as well in that language as in her own... So, as far as she knew, the elves and the Archon shared something other than hate. Something beautiful. How was it that could have the same song when they didn't stay around the other race longer than it took to kill them? Maybe from prisoners? No...she doubted that either people would sing a song they heard from their prisoners. Both of them were a bit too proud to do so. Maybe, despite what she had been told, it hadn't always been one big war around here. And as much as she hated to admit it, what Revi had said had made sense to her. She agreed. She didn't understand why they had to fight with people like the Archons, if they really did share so much. "But all of my life, everyone has said that Archons are evil and that they started the war..." "Does this guy look evil to you?" "No. But what would people say if they find out what I have done...and what I am thinking of doing?" "Since when do you care what people think?" "And if they kill me for my actions?" "Wouldn't you rather die doing what is right than live something you know is a lie?" "Ugh! Shut up!" Andi grimaced, even though the conversation was in her head, and not out loud, she was talking to herself and had just told herself to shut up. That, paired with saving Revi, proved that she was crazier than she had thought. The elf sighed deeply and decided that she had done enough freaking out for one night. She crouched beside Revi and simply looked at his face for a while, still trying to figure him out, but other than being reminded how attractive he was, she learned nothing more. A slender finger moved out and brushed a strand of golden hair away from his face. "Asking why is dangerous...doing something about it is nearly always fatal. How much do you love your life, Archon? Are you willing to give it away even though it might not bring change?" Andi swallowed hard, "If I thought that giving my own life would bring peace, I would give it willingly...but its not always that simple. I just wish I knew..." Andi laughed softly, "We'll talk in the morning, as a tree would respond more at the moment. Sleep well." With that, she jumped. More like flew. In a moment she was up in a sturdy branch of the tree that was right above her sleeping companion. It hadn't been a long jump, and she was used to getting into trees. It was where she slept the best, cradled by the living branches. It was just a bonus that it was the best place to keep watch as well. If she thought he could manage to stay there, she would have put Revi in a tree too, but she doubted that anybody other than an elf could sleep in a tree, even with practice. Clearing her mind of everything, and settling herself into a comfortable position, Andi drifted off into a light sleep, her eyes staring blankly at the leaves above her. Albireo Dreamweaver Once Andi flew up to her tree, Revi finally relaxed enough to open his eyes fully. The revelation about the song was eerie, something that even he had not known. Though the song was not popular, his mother had sung it as a lullaby when he was but an angeling. He had never heard it again after he had been cast from his home and shamed, but the song stayed with him, always reminding him of the home he had lost, and now it would remind him of something much different. Revi stared above him, to the sleeping elf. He couldn’t understand how she could bear to sleep in a tree, but it was better then the ground. Despite the comfort he had feigned with sleeping on the ground, the Archon’s very much resented it. They had an affinity for the sky and for high places, whether it be a towering cliff or a solid citadel. Since neither of those were available at the moment, a tree seemed to be the best alternative. Revi stood and reached inside his armor, pulling out the tunic he wore under his armor. He put it on, and it helped him to ward off the nights chill. Staring longingly at his armor, and trying to find the sky from between the entangling branches from its reflection, Revi thought a bit more about the elf woman. She’s different… Like I am He thought as he let his hand wander to the mark on his cheek. He stood unmoving for a few moments, then flexed his wings and spread them. Unlike Andi, He really did fly up into the trees branches. He rested on a particularly sturdy intersection of branches and rested his back against the trunk. He was on a tree opposite Andi’s, and as he closed his eyes to find some rest, He could still see her soft and slender features illuminated in the dying firelight. The tree wasn’t bad, Revi decided. It wasn’t quite like sleeping nestled in the cliffs, but it would do in a pinch. Lying back, he let his thoughts extend one more time to his fancies of himself with this beautiful elf, then slid into sleep. Erulastiel Andi woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the trees around her, and the strange green light of the forest filtering in through the leaves. The feeling was one of familiarity...she was well rested and very relaxed. She jumped out of her tree and landed lightly on her feet, barely making a sound in the carpet of moss and leaves. It was only when she saw the fire and the other signs of the Archon that she remembered the happenings of the previous day. That's when she realized that he wasn't there. Although she didn't swear aloud, her thoughts were filled with all of the curse words she had ever heard, which weren't very many, considering elves rarely spoke such things. She searched around for sign of him, but there was nothing. He was gone. Where was he? She moved about their small campsite in a panic, but saw no signs of travel except for the faint ones that she had left and those of animals. Andi didn't think that he could have flown very far with so many trees, but she looked up anyway, trying to see if there was a hole in the roof of tangled branches. As her gaze was focused above her, she caught sight of the figure in the tree nearby. She did a double take. He had slept in a tree! He! An Archon! Had slept in a tree! Moving quickly, she climbed up into the tree and sat on a branch just across from where he slept, looking down on him as he showed signs of waking up. Revi's eyes opened a few moments later to find Andi looking straight into his face. With the strange light and the emotions that colored her face, the pretty elf was almost glowing. She was almost surreal, truly looking a child of the forest, with leaves tangling in with her hair. For the first time since they had met, she had a small grin on her face, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of shock, excitment, and pure, almost childish, glee. He couldn't help but smile back at her, so happy did she look. "You didn't tell me that you could sleep in a tree!" She seemed to want to say more, but didn't seem to be able to speak. "I didn't really know until last night. I woke up and decided that a tree would be more comfortable than the ground." "It is! I never sleep anywhere else if I can help it! I hate to take you from your rest, but now that you're awake, come on down and I'll take a look at your wound." Revi and Andi both climbed (or flew) down to the ground. They stood there, looking at each other. "Take off your shirt." Unlike how most girls would have been, Andi didn't seem embarrassed by the order that she gave to the extremely attractive Archon. It was part of her job, so she had no problem with it. Revi did as she told him and Andi stepped close, her hand reaching out to touch the nearly healed wound. It was almost completely better. Her fingers trailed lightly over the stitches. Everything was in place. She drew back, a sudden heat rushing into her face, and she looked away from his bare chest. "Umm...I can take the stitches out tomorrow. It's healing well. You'll be good as new." Neither one of them mentioned what she had threatened to do once he was better...neither one of them wanted to think about it. Would she actually go through with trying to kill him...did she want to? Would tomorrow be the day that one of them died? There was an awkward silence. "So...what now?" "Well, I'm sure you're hungry, so let's eat. What do Archons eat exactly? I've been told that they eat the roasted flesh of elves, but that's usually just said to warn little children away from the edges of the forest. But other than that, I have no idea." A smirk curved her lips, and Andi was obviously back in control of her emotions. © Copyright 2008 Albireo Dreamweaver, Erulastiel, (known as GROUP). All rights reserved. GROUP has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
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