(Flashback) Arriving in Zeltiva (Solo)

[Faylon Kwanda]

29th of Spring, 509AV. 21st Bell. [Faylon had travelled on a small vessel, a boat of no more than fifty or sixty, when he left Denval late in the year 208AV and set sail to Zeltiva. He’d wanted to come after hearing stories of how Kennabelle Wright had been the one to discover Denval before his family had migrated there many years later and also, from what he was told, Zeltiva hosted a grand university considered to be, maybe, the greatest institution of learning left in Mizahar. His trip had been long and he wasn’t much of a sailor, he preferred to travel by his own two feet when he could, but when he heard the first cry from the crow’s nest that land was near Faylon felt his heart rising.] [Instantly he felt as though his spirits were uplift and coming to his feet out of a hammock bellow deck he’d have started to move above where he could watch the city of Zeltiva from afar. As he came above deck, his feet a bit shaky, he moved to the side of the ship and with hand taking hold of the wood he’d look out towards the burning light of the city in the darkness awestruck. This was the first time he’d ever seen a city, he had never left Denval since arriving with his family and being raised there from a young age, he thought might have died and gone to a city where veritable gods had dwelt. Imagining that a city which dwarfed the town of Denval in every way existed had truly almost been beyond his scope.] [He’d wait at the side of the ship as it drew closer to the docks. Then hearing his name called Faylon would turn to see one of the rougher looking sailors motion him closer before saying...”C’mere Lad. Good now ‘old this rope fer me.”...which he did. The rope was attached to one of the sails and helped to steady it while it was being used so it was important to keep it steady. As Faylon took the rope in his hands his forearms would tense and he’d plant one foot behind himself so that he could keep steady but otherwise there wasn’t much to it. The Sailor who had given him the rope had went to tie off another one as the boat slowed while making port and soon the man returned to take his charge back from Faylon who then moved off once more.] [All said it took half a bell for the boat to make port once it had entered the bay surrounding Zeltiva and when it did the crew had started to unload various items the moment the planks went down, that’s what it looked like anyways. Various dock workers or officials were likely there to meet the boat even at the late hour but Faylon had a hard time making it all out. He went bellow deck to gather his things so that he could depart. Taking a backpack with him which he slung over his shoulder he wore a Longsword on his right hip, sheathed in scabbard, and wore plain travellers clothing; the only thing that might have set him apart was the fur cloak which hung down off his shoulders, it was made from a wolf and didn’t look that old.] [Back on the deck of the boat Faylon would disembark after bidding several members of the ships crew farewell, he’d come to know several of them over the course of the journey, and then he was off. His first footsteps on the docks of Zeltiva felt different, it was almost as though he could tell that he wasn’t in Denval any longer, but moving down the docks he’d waste no time in indulging in his desire to explore the city. Of course he’d need to find a place to stay first, some sort of lodging.] [In those first few moments, despite his actual age, he must have looked like a boy who had just wandered into some place new and amazing. It took a few moments of walking ahead, lost in his own thoughts, before he started to get his head back on his shoulders. There was a lot to take in.] [Hearing voices Faylon would have stopped by the plank of another ship as a crewmember offloaded something and waiting for him to finish he would have asked...”Excuse me friend. Know where I can find a drink and warm bed for the night?”...to which the sailor would nod before giving him directions to the nearest tavern where he could rent a room for the night. Thanking him Faylon would begin to walk away before he heard the man calling after him and recommend something called Kelp Beer, a local delicacy obviously. He’d have to do that when he found the establishment he’d been directed to never realizing just how new he looked.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Locating the tavern nearest to the docks wasn’t hard, the Kelp Bar stuck out like a sore thumb, and walking towards it Faylon saw a number of other sailors heading there as well. He was inside before he knew it and looking around with eyes that were taking it all in, Faylon didn’t even notice the eyes that were on him then and there seeing as how he looked exactly like you might expect an outsider to and nothing like a seaman, this was vastly different than the Stranger’s Welcome in Denval. The Kelp Bar was grungier than the type of establishment he was used to.] [Approaching the bar with a shrug of the shoulders though Faylon would set his backpack down beside him and read the large sign that said...-KELP BEER, TWO NILOS-...behind it before waving the bartender over to him. Explaining that he only had miza on him the bartender almost laughed and exclaimed that Faylon must have been new to Zeltiva but that his money was fine, this time, seeing as how he was a newcomer and exchanging coinage for a drink it wasn’t long before a large mug of frothy Kelp Beer was thrust down in front of him. Unsurprisingly as the mug was set down in front of him, sloshing briefly and spilling some of the green contents onto the bar, Faylon almost lost his nerve completely.] [Eyeing the mug of Kelp Beer suspiciously Faylon wanted to question the bartender as to whether or not this was some kind of joke, it smelled like dead fish or worse, but letting his attention veer to those around him he’d notice that not only were several others watching him but that they were all drinking exactly what he was. His courage seemed to return when he saw how the locals were drinking the beer with impunity too and taking his mug he raised it to his mouth and started to swill back the Kelp Beer the same as anyone native to Zeltiva might have, which was a mistake. When the Kelp Beer hit his stomach and his mouth was still full of the salty fish tasting beverage Faylon might as well have lost all color from his face, his eyes got wider and he looked like he might have spewed whatever was in his stomach.] [Recognizing the sight another foreigner not used to drinking what all of them did many of the patrons in the bar began to laugh uproariously expecting that Faylon would have gagged and thrown up all over the bar. Mustering all of his fortitude though Faylon managed to swallow the rest of the drink and even lift the mug of beer back to his mouth so that he could finish his drink. It was stronger than what he usually drank in Denval too. Hands clapped together for him when the patrons watching realized he would keep his drink down and swallowing a lump in his throat Faylon would announce...”ANOTHER!!!”...when he had finished his first mug. Another mug of Kelp Beer was tossed down in front of him shortly thereafter.] -One Bell Later- [Drinking wasn’t usually the best idea when you were new to a place but Faylon seemed to have forgotten all of that now that he was drinking his fourth mug of Kelp Beer and engrossed in discussions and a dice game with some of the friendlier sailors. Tossing the bone dice it wasn’t exactly clear what they were betting on but as they come up snake eyes many observers cheered and Faylon groaned before taking another drink. Kelp Beer still tasted like Shyke but as far an liquor went it definitely made a man drunk which meant it was a taste that Faylon could acquire, really after the second mug his senses were to dulled for him to care at all though.] [After one of the sailors he was rolling the dice with had taken his turn Faylon took the dice to throw again, he was just about to toss them when a large hamhock came down over his shoulder and turned him around, he released the dice when the smell of rotten fish began wafting into his face and he heard a voice yelling...”You think you can drink like one of us, well now we’ll see if you can fight like one of us!!!”...and then something hard hit him in the face.] [Stars were clouding Faylon’s vision as he fell out of his seat. Landing on the floor, on his chest, Faylon took a moment or two to regain most of his senses and was blinking his eyes when he noticed a large man, arms covered in tattoos showboating to the crowd which cried out...-Ector, Ector, Ector!-...which he only surmised must have been the name of the man that had hit him. Once he had taken a minute to regain his senses Faylon was climbing back onto his feet, where wobbly, he started to take on a classic Boxing stance with arms raised to block and feet shoulder width apart, he was a bit heavier on them than usual though...this wasn’t going to be easy.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Ector was a large man, and experienced sailor and a brawler and just looking at him made Faylon wish he didn’t have to fight though he was getting used to it when he drank in the taverns by now. Maybe it had something to do with the fact the Ector smelled like bad fish and that looking at him Faylon could swear that the man was greasier than a cod. As Faylon came back to his feet Ector would have eventually turned to face him before waving him on and saying...”C’mon you little urchin. Lets see what you’re made of!”...and then with his fists weaving in a small pattern Ector would begin moving in a slow circle.] [Now circling was something that Faylon was used to, in Boxing it often pre-empted a feeling out process between fighters, if he wasn’t as drunk and foggy eyed as he had been Faylon probably would have remembered that instead of growling...”Who’re you calling a little urchin!?”...and heading towards him boldly. Not as light on his feet as he thought he was Faylon would pump out a stiff hook which Ector easily swayed backwards out of the way of before delivering a hard shot in return that landed cleanly in Faylon’s face and sent him stumbling backwards. Recovering quickly, partially due to his drunkenness, Faylon came in strong once more though and threw wildly, most of his blows missed or glanced off Ector, before he was rebuked for his troubles by the large man with a boot to the stomach before he was tossed to the side and over a table.] [Landing in a heap Faylon was groaning even while he started climbing back onto his feet, he got to his feet just in time to see Ector coming at him and a sudden rush of adrenaline helped him bob his head to one side causing the large fist that would have struck his face to blow past him, then he was on the attack once more. Taking advantage of this opportunity Faylon sent a heavy cross into the side of Ector’s stomach and heard the man wheeze before he followed through with a second and then a third as he broke into his own flurry. It had started to work too before Ector threaded his hands together dropped them both between Faylon’s shoulders, buckling him, and allowing him to retreat backwards to catch his breath.] [Gritting his teeth Faylon didn’t know how much he would be aching in the morning and managed to sound out a...”Had enough!?”...which caused Ector’s eyes to widen with more than just a bit of rage before the man was bull rushing in again. Like a matador Faylon had just enough sense in him to sidestep though and as Ector charged past him he would pivot on his back foot and deliver a stinging shot to the back of the man’s head which had him stumbling. Now things had started to look a bit more promising and Faylon, standing upright in a classically offensive boxing stance, would stalk Ector as he came around and send a quick combination of stunning jabs into his face. One, two. One, two, three. He didn’t look like the largest man but as his blows pummelled into Ector’s face his opponent was left red and bruised.] [Now if he were sober this would have meant continuing the attack so that Ector couldn’t recover but Faylon still not being in his right mind had decided to showboat a little himself and turning around he’d be seen raising his arms into the air. There was a bit of cheering from the sailors who enjoyed a decent show and some entertainment as long as things stayed reasonably clean and even a bit of laughter when these antics started. Wait, laughter didn’t seem right in this type of situation. It was then, feeling large arms wrap themselves around his torso, that Faylon gasped as the breath was forced out of his lungs as Ector started lifting him into an enormous bear hug. Groaning and grabbing for the hands locked around his waist Faylon wasn’t sure how much of this he could take.] [Realizing the desperation of his situation Faylon would twist in the grasp of Ector as best he could before beginning to throw elbows backwards, most of them missed but he felt one at least glance the man, and then he snapped his head back as well so that he could drive his skull into the other man’s face. Ector stumbled and hissed a curse...”SHYKE! YOU BROKE MY NOSE!”...before hurling Faylon across the bar where he once more landed on the floor hard.] [Laying there on his stomach, gasping for breath, Faylon wasn’t exactly sure how well this was going for him and the bear hug had done nothing to helpful for his stomach. On his hands and knees Faylon would start to throw up, vomiting out a belly full of Kelp Beer onto the bar floor, before wiping his mouth and looking back towards Ector who had likewise begun to recover. First round is over, it’s time for the second Faylon told himself.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[As he came back up to his feet still wiping the last of what he’d wretched out of his stomach from his mouth with back of his hand Faylon would see Ector blinking back tears, blood streaming from the man’s nose, and like it was on cue for the both of them to meet each other on the floor again they started towards one another. Wobbling once Faylon caught himself before he made a misstep and raising his arms he’d block as Ector threw a punch, taking advantage of the momentary lapse, which sent flares of pain through Faylon’s forearms. He started backing away when he finally managed to avoid one of Ector’s blows giving himself a bit of breathing room.] [Faylon wasn’t feeling particularly strong at this point in time, he’d much rather just pass out in a bed of straw or even on the floor, but he didn’t have the luxury of quitting so as Ector came in and threw an enormous haymaker Faylon would duck underneath the blow and slip the man. Moving ahead as he ducked he’d slip to the left of Ector and drill him with his own hard rabbit punch that caused the man to grunt and then turn to follow his target once more. Kicking at him Faylon lean to take the blow across his ribs before peppering out a flurry of blows aimed towards Ector’s midsection to put him down while he was off balance.] [Even grazed Faylon didn’t feel like his ribs had been anything but bruised by what would have been a brutal blow but his fists struck out in the flurry. Pounding into Ector’s stomach and midsection Faylon would be rewarded by seeing the man fall backwards and even though he didn’t pounce it gave him a moment to plan out his next move while Ector was coming back to his feet. The big man was starting to move just a little slower after his constitution had been tested by so many gut shots.] [Popping out a quick combination as Ector came back to his feet. Jab, jab, hook. Faylon caught Ector on the side of the jaw with the last blow and sent him wobbling away and sensing that now was the definitive time he stalked forward before Ector could make himself completely upright. Footsteps brought Faylon in close with Ector and as the man was bringing himself upright once more Faylon started to pump out a combination of jabs followed by a straight right. One, two, three. The straight seemed like it knocked more of the fight out of Ector as his head snapped backwards. It was then that Ector let out a loud roar though and came forward with whatever he had left.] [Backpedalling quickly Faylon would bob his head from right to left, sway his body likewise, and try to avoid as many of the heavy punches that Ector sent his way as he could. Almost tripping over his own feet though Faylon would see an enormous fist coming towards him and begin to dodge at the last moment possible. Slipping to the side Faylon would barely avoid the heavy blow as Ector came at him but taking advantage of the man’s awkward stance following the last failed blow Faylon would send a counterpunch over Ector’s arm and hammer it into the side of his head near the temple. Ector dropped like the dead after the blow connected and even though he wasn’t unconscious the fight was over as several shipmates of the man rushed over to keep him from trying to battle on.] [With his feet barely underneath him Faylon would stumble until he was leaning into the bar, several of the men he had been throwing dice with coming over to congratulate him, where another mug of Kelp Beer was thrust towards him so that he could celebrate his victory. Faylon didn’t even think twice when he took the mug of beer and drank it back but he soon learned his mistake when, drained as he was, the beer made him glassy eyed and he slid off the bar onto the floor where he’d sit in a daze much to the amusement of those nearby.] [Looking up at what he thought was a familiar face as arms hooked beneath his own and pulled him back onto his feet Faylon was saying...”Why do I feel like I just had my head caved in?”...he was bruised but it wasn’t that bad and more than likely all this had something to do with the Kelp Beer in his system. He looked over to see Ector, back on his feet, looking at him and as the man began moving towards him Faylon thought this might not have been over yet.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[When Faylon saw Ector coming towards him he started to knuckle his fists into a ball and it didn’t help that the man bellowed out a...”YOU!”...when he saw Faylon looking back at him but standing his ground he waited for the sailor to make distance on him hoping that their fight was done now. Maybe that wasn’t the wisest course of action as Ector grabbed Faylon by the collar and was lifting him up onto his tiptoes moments later. His breath smelled worse now after they’d fought and Faylon felt the bile rising in the back of his mouth as Ector’s face hovered near his.] [Out of desperation, perhaps, or just because he had no interest in trading blows with this man all over again Faylon decided to try something different then. He started into Ector’s eyes with his own and peered deep into the man as though he were looking through windows. Using their eyes as the connection once they had met Faylon had begun to generate a small amount of djed which he’d use his own gaze as a portal for while staring at Ector almost as though he were the one in a trance now and not attempting to do likewise to the other man.] [In his state who knows if this would even work but Faylon was determined to try. Focusing on Ector’s eyes he would begin to channel the djed had harnessed through his own gaze to act as a conduit between the two men, a means of joining them together in a sense, and then very clearly he would have uttered...”Can’t we both just get along?”...as though he were planting the seed in Ector’s mind in the form of a question so that the man would never be the wiser. His own eyes flickered as he did this and seemed to take on a sharper quality to themselves as Faylon spoke the words to Ector and then, just as quickly, they faded and returned to their normal hue.] [Within moments Ector’s hold had begun to loosen, he looked confused at first but then he grinned and showed the gap between his teeth, before saying...”You fight good for having land legs!”...which relieved Faylon. He’d never know if his attempt to Hypnotize the man was successful or not but it may have started by merely planting the smile idea in the back of Ector’s mind. Regardless of why it had happened Ector released Faylon and the two of them shared a laugh together and as the night wore on they’d share a drink as well.] [Zeltiva was different Faylon told himself but it wasn’t bad and he enjoyed himself on his first night in the new city. He drank to excess and revelled with the sailors of Zeltiva and as the night wore on more and more of it became a total blur to Faylon who became drunker and drunker. Before long his speech was totally slurred and even trying to walk would have caused him to land face first on the floor.] 30th of Spring, 509AV [Next morning when Faylon awoke it appeared someone had taken mercy on him. His head ached and his body was sore but at least he was face first in a bed of straw. Wherever he was he didn’t care, Faylon tried to get up but ended up painting the street in more of his stomachs insides and then he was laying prone again, he decided to sleep at least a few more hours. If he was lucky he’d be able to manage that much at least before he was rousted from his sleep.] [The End.]

[Oracle]

Name: Faylon Kwanda

XP Award:

• Drinking +1
• Boxing +3
• Hypnotism +1

Lore:

• Wonders of the City
• Kelp Beer
• Being Drunk
• Getting Sick
• Being Hungover

Notes: Wonderful read! I know the city has a future for you and hope you stick around for a good long time and many more posts. The way you told the story painted a fantastic picture for me and really pulled me in. Good job.




If you have any concerns with this please PM me and let me know.

A.S. Oracle