Song of the Half-Blood (Rhaeol)

[Cheshire]

Timestamp: 13th of Summer, 511 AV There had been murmurs in Avanthal as of late. Talk of the tikani races mudding up the Vantha blood. Drykas, Inarta, even plain human blood was starting to spread through the Vantha bloodlines and into the holds. It was not to say that Vantha were high and mighty, although it is impossible to find a race without a few of that mindset. There was fear in the minds of many Vantha though. If the blood of the Vantha was mixing so readily with the blood of other races. They were the children of the aurora, the keepers of the Northern songs! The songs were slowly losing their luster and who was there to blame? The Vantha could not have been the reason. They can been creating beautiful music for as long as they could remember. Vantha music had been around longer than Icewatch, it was everything they were. There was only one answer, or at least the only one people where speaking of. It had to be the mixed bloods. The Vantha blood was no longer pure and there was a hope, however strange it was that if the half bloods could be convinced to leave Avanthal possibly the music would return. The Vantha who held this ill-will toward the half bloods were quiet about their distaste at first. They wanted to test the waters and see who else was spreading poison about the half bloods. A small glare here and a rude word there were begining to escilate. Where there were only sharp words at first there was now spitting distaste, unhidden from the half-bloods' eyes. Slowy the prejudice was begining to grow and feed like a disease. Clearly, Avanthal was becoming the bane of a half Vantha's existance. They could live, that was not a question. No one was hurting them, they were just looked down upon like lesser beings. No one knew how long this would last, only that some how it had to stop. The Red Diamond tavern seemed to be a hot spot for this sort of activity. Rayvoris, the owner of the tavern was not especially interested in the music. He appreciated it and of course it brought him much more business. He fed into the scorn of the half bloods for one simple reason. Everyone else was doing it. Rayvoris was never known to be extremely intellegent. In fact people were known to exploit this fact a bit and when he found himself on the short end of a person's trickery his own concilation was "Well Ray, at least you are good looking." It did not mean much but it always seemed to brighten his spirits. Rayvoris knew that this new found dislike for the half bloods was something people enjoyed talking about and if people liked it, he would spread it like wildfire in his tavern. Anything to get more money coming in. This tavern is where one could find Rhaeol. He looked almost like a perfect Vantha, almost. He had the dark, aurora kissed hair and the color changing eyes that the Vantha were known so well for. He even had the olive colored skin of the northerners. He was not a perfect Vantha though. He was a hint too tall to hide his Drykas blood, standing three inches than even the tallest of Vantha. His features also betrayed his forgien blood as they were more sharp than those of Morwen's people. The Vantha took notice, how could they not? A young Snowsong around Rhaeol's age approached him, his eyes flashing a dangerous green. "Half blood, we don't want your kind mudding up the city. The Everwinter city was perfectly fine without the blood of the tikani." He looked over the mixed blood with a judging stare. "Why don't you run back to the south? Rhaus clearly is displeased with the summer lover blood in your veins." The boy had no problem fighting and he would in a moment if Rhaeol provoked him. "What do you say? I'll even walk you to the gates." A knife shined in the boy's hand as he looked at Rhaeol. "Or I can make you leave. Your choice." His eyes shined a dark red as he looked at the mixed blood. He was determind to get the music back to Avanthal even if he had to harm his holdmate.

[Rhaeol]

Change had drifted softly over Avanthal... But Rhaeol hadn't noticed. Perhaps it was his love of the culture he had been born into or perhaps he was merely oblivious. Either way, he assumed that the occasional stare and whispered words behind his back were because he had something on his face... or something like that. So Rhaeol continued going about his days normally. He frequented the Red Diamond Tavern as usual, feeling the heightened tension in the room, but not realizing it was focused around him. It came as a shock to him when he was approached by a fellow Snowsong in such an aggressive manner and asked him to leave Avanthal. When a knife appeared in the Vantha's hand, all the signs of this change came rushing back to Rhaeol and at last he understood the change that had taken place, if a little too late. His eyes took on their olive green color of confusion and flickered between that and an angry purple. His thoughts were a blur. Rhaus was displeased with him? How did this boy know? Where did that knife come from? Maybe he heard my attempts at trying to play the songs I've written? At last the thoughts could no longer be contained and Rhaeol began speaking them, "I've lived here my whole life, why would I leave? And I was born in the winter. Besides what does my blood have to do with Rhaus anyways? Rhaus is just as much a god of the Drykas as he is the Vantha." As the last words left his mouth, Rhaeol realized that this was the first time he had publicly let out that he was half Drykas. It wasn't like it was a deep dark secret from his past or anything, and it was obvious that he was not fully Vanthan, but it almost felt like a declaration of individuality. It was if he was accepting that as much as he had lived in this city, and belonged for these past 21 years, he was something else entirely.

[Cheshire]

The Snowsong watched Rhaeol carefully. The blade felt like liberation sitting in his palm. Perhaps he was a little mad from playing so late into the night. It did not matter though. The boy was going to rid his hold of the filth of the other races. "Drykas... so you are one of those horse lovers." His eyes flashed a threatening yellow as he looked over the tall man before him. "Seems about right. You never could play music as well as everyone else could." All of the people in the tavern seemed to quiet as the coversation between the two Snowsongs began to heat up. Whispers flitted amoungst them. He is a Drykas? No wonder the music has stopped. Eyes of many different colors all were shifting colors as they looked at Rhaeol and his holdmate. The Snowsong knew this and he was not going to back down now that there was a crowd. "You will leave because you do not belong here. Even a horse-lover like you should understand that." His eyes turned a deeper hue of yellow. The Snowsong was planning something, but what? A light push to the half blood's chest was the first sign that things were about to get dangerous. "Do you see any other Drykas around here? Do you see any Striders?" His voice was demanding and sharp. "Answer me horse boy! Do you?" The man would make sure everyone in the tavern would know that Rhaeol was not like them. He liked the attention he was getting. He felt empowered. His fingers gripped at Rhaeol's shirt, pulling his face at level with his own. "Or is it that you can't go back. I bet the Drykas don't even want a dirty little half blood like you." His fingers tapped on the body of his knife as he looked into Rhaeol's eyes. "We don't need dirt like you here." The Snowsong was stronger than his short stature let on. Where he lacked in height when compared to the mixed blood he made up for in strength. His hand grasped around Rhaeol's throat, threatening to cut off his air. "This is for Rhaus." He pulled his arm back as his knife caught the light of the lanterns in the tavern. "Avanthal needed someone to spill the first drops of blood. Rhaus will return to us soon once you half-bloods have been driven away." The knife cut through the air as it aimed for Rhaeol's chest. The mixed blood would be counting down the last moments of his life as a hand intervined, catching the Vantha's wrist. "I may not be from around here but I'm pretty sure Rhaus is not a fan of blood offerings." The voice came from the person who grabbed the Snowsong's wrist, a tall man who was clearly not of Vantha decent. "He seems a little more merry than that, yes?" The Vantha looked up at the man, his eyes turning a bright orange. The man paid no attention to the snarling Vantha in his grasp. Instead he looked at Rhaeol. "You need to find yourself some better friends mate." He flashed the mixed blood a smile before prying the knife out of Vantha's hand. "Come unnaturally tall Vantha, let's talk." He motioned to a table over in the corner of the tavern. "Don't bring your violent friend with you though. He seems a bit dangerous." When the pair made it to the table they were greeted by a blonde woman with deep golden eyes. "This is Kaylaria, my friend and travel companion." The girl simply looked forward and cocked her head slightly at the sight of him. The man quickly took Rhaeol's attention again. "Petch, where are my manners though. I'm Chase Laurence." He held out his hand eagerly to Rhaeol with a smile. "Of Zeltiva." He quickly added in the last part of his title as if he thought his own name was not enough of a greeting. "And you are? I would keep calling you unsually tall Vantha but I have a strong inkling that you have a different name. Of course, that would be a fine name if it were your own." The man seemed to talk quickly like he had a million things he wanted to say all at once. "Anyways, sit down. Tell me about what happened between you and your friend with the knife."

[Rhaeol]

The other Snowsong's outburst surprised Rhaeol. He had rarely if ever seen a Vantha get this angry, especially with this anger smothered in malice with a side of zeal. As the tirade continued, he found himself simply at a loss for words. Having not even realized the growing prejudice towards mixed-bloods until a few seconds ago, Rhaeol was absolutely perplexed and intrigued at these emotions. When the Vantha pulled the knife back and prepared to strike however, the reality of the situation reigned in Rhaeol's mind. This was no fluke, no joke. This man was incensed and prepared to kill to win back Rhaus' favor. And from the avid spectators, it appeared that he was not alone in this anger. Rhaeol's life didn't flash before his eyes. Instead it sat in the corner of his mind and let possible escapes flash before his eyes. Unfortunately, Rhaeol could not come across any manner of escaping this fate that fit within his skill set. But he didn't have to. At the last moment, a man intervened. He was clearly a foreigner. A thought flitted across Rhaeol's mind before disappearing into the recesses of forgotten thoughts, Why don't you go after this man... He has no Vanthan blood in him. "Come unnaturally tall Vantha, let's talk. Don't bring your violent friend with you though. He seems a bit dangerous." Rhaeol followed the man to a table where a woman was seated. She acknowledged them briefly as they arrived. The man quickly introduced the woman and himself, then continued, "And you are? I would keep calling you unsually tall Vantha but I have a strong inkling that you have a different name. Of course, that would be a fine name if it were your own. Anyways, sit down. Tell me about what happened between you and your friend with the knife." Rhaeol sat down slowly, thrown off by Chase's sudden appearance. As such, he was unable to even attempt to restrain his thoughts before they poured out of his mouth, "My name's Rhaeol, and I'm a Snowsong, mostly, and so is that violent Vantha over there. I think I might have seen him before but I'm not sure, his face his is kind of familiar." Internally he was yelling at himself to stop the inundation of words, but that was just something he had issues with. Once the thought-flow started, it was quite difficult to stop. "Change has been happening, and I haven't noticed it, and it all just came out of the blue. For some reason they think I'm the reason the music's gone, whatever that means, and it doesn't even make sense. I write music, lots of it, constantly, I can't not write music. I just can't play it. And I er...I..." Rhaeol's embarrassment was serving as a dam for the flood of thoughts. "Um...Sorry about that, I'm done now." His eyes took on a light shade of pink as he grinned sheepishly at his rescuer.

[Cheshire]

Chase motioned to the waitstaff as he listened to Rhaeol's hurried words. The God's knew the boy seemed like he could use a drink and Chase was always up for one. "Kallie, you want anything?" The woman looked over at him, her lips parting to show a pair of fangs. "Just water Chase. Not every occasion calls for spirits." The Zeltivan simply shrugged as his attention turned to Rhaeol. "What about you? Would you like a drink? I'm paying." When the drinks were placed and Rhaeol had finished speaking Chase nodded, thinking of what to say. "Well, I can tell you one thing, chase is happening. It's always happening and it will never stop. You know dwellers know that though." He took a long swig from his mug before speaking up again. "There is a different sort of change happening here. Where I come from, Zeltiva that is, we are big on two things. Sailing and education. Despite my… manly sailor-esque charms I actually was a student at the university." Chase chuckled sightly as Kaylaria rolled her eyes. The girl adored Chase but she did not adore his high opinions of himself, even if they were said in jest. "I studied a lot of things. Religion, culture, geography, but what really interested me was Rhaus. He has stayed very quiet for a very long time, no? For being the God of music he likes to keep to himself it seems." Chase was not very interested in music, nor had he ever been. He could appreciate it, that much was very certain, but never had he felt the urge to take up strumming a lyre or singing a tune. "Well in my studies I saw that there were two races that seemed to worship Rhaus, the Inarta and the Vantha. Everyone was studying the Inarta though. You know how interesting they can seem with their giant birds and their nightly amnesia. I chose to study the Vantha and their connection to the music God instead." There was a bit of nervousness in Chase as he was explaining this to Rhaeol. This study was his life's work even if his life had not been too long lived yet. The mixed-blood could think he was crazy! He motioned for Rhaeol to get closer so the others could not hear. "In my studies I read of a place, and I quote, where the lights touch the earth, the snow sings, and the seasons are one." Chase smiled slyly at Rhaeol. "Cool huh? There isn't a lot on it. I cannot find it in any other books I have found but one. I think it could be where Rhaus has been hiding out and it could be a way to retrieve the Vantha's music. I'm here on a quest to find it and I want you to help me. You up to it Rhaeol?"

[Rhaeol]

Rhaeol started slightly at the sight of fangs emerging from the blond woman's face. But he managed to hold back any comment and rein in his thoughts quickly enough to both hear and respond to Chase's question. "Um, yeah sure. But something light." He added the last as memory of previous experiences with the effects alcohol had upon his already outspoken personality. Suffice it to say, loosing an already loose tongue was not a good idea. Rhaeol took a couple of sips of his drink as he listened to Chase explain his background and his quest for Rhaus. It was intriguing to say the least if completely bizarre. He'd rarely considered the gods much as he passed through life. Of course, that was besides Morwen. It was difficult to ignore a God that lived in a palace you passed everyday. But of the others, Rhaus was the only one that had ever piqued his interest. His info was sketchy, with a single source to rely on. The whole idea was borderline insanity, but the fact was, it might be a good idea to get outside of the city for a little while. Perhaps this sudden resentment would die out. And if not, finding Rhaus would certainly put him in the good books of the Vantha. He found himself voicing his thoughts directly. "Well the idea's bordering on insanity, but it might be a good idea for me to get out of Avanthal for a while. Maybe this resentment will die out. And if it doesn't, it might be a good idea to find Rhaus. Where do we start?"

[Cheshire]

"Something light for my friend here." Chase waved to a server lightly before looking back to Rhaeol. He looked a little slight but between Kaylaria and himself they should have been able to keep him safe. Besides, along the way they would be able to teach him a thing or two about fighting. "Do you know how to use any weapons?" He knew that a good number of Vantha did not since they expected Icewatch to keep them safe. This was expected though. The Sylirans did not all train with weapons either. Why learn weaponry when there is a guard to make sure you never need to use your skill? Chase smiled slyly at Rhaeol. "Insanity my dear Vantha is the creation of adventure." Kaylaria rolled her eyes with a sigh. While she loved Chase, she found him a bit… ostentatious at times. She would hold her tongue though. It was not her place to question the motives of her bondmate, or even to comment on his cocky choice of wording. She was there simply to protect just as any loyal animal would. Under her stoic exterior there was a part of her that found Chase amusing. Perhaps a more childlike part of herself and it could be hinted at through the light purr the buzzed from her throat. Although one could not hear it unless they were truly listening. The sounds of the tavern were getting loud, far too loud to hear a light purr. With a long swig of his ale, Chase nodded. "Great, welcome aboard the adventure then." The Zeltivan was happy to see that Rhaeol was willing to take part in his crazy idea. He worried that the Vantha might be a little too sensible to just run off with some random outsider such as himself. "I have a feeling we'll get along swimmingly. Not all people would just run off with a dashingly handsome stranger out of the blue. I promise I won't kill you know. In fact, I'll do my upmost to make sure you don't die." The offer was sincere, although strangely worded. As time went on all who met Chase Laurence tended to learn to dilute what he said. He clearly had a flare of shock value, even if his intent was innocent. "Anyways, were is what we are going to do." Chase's eyes seemed to light up with excitement, although not in the way a Vantha's would. "We are going to need to get rations, clothing, and other essentials for the trip." He tapped his chin lightly as he thought. "There really are not any maps to where we are going so we won't have to buy one." Kaylaria smirked at Chase's words. "That is this one's way of saying he has no petching clue where we are headed. Hope you are in for a ride kid." After departing from the tavern the group gathered their essentials. The trio was outfitted with warm furs to protect them from the elements and had enough rations for about thirty days. The trip could have taken longer. In fact, it probably would. Too much food on a person could attract animals and the group needed as little trouble as they could manage. When the three travelers were ready and outfitted they stood at the edges of Avanthal. "Last chance to back out kid. You ready to find the music?"

[Rhaeol]

Rhaeol took a sip of the drink placed in front of him before responding to Chase's question. "I can use a bow. Um, that is, I can aim a bow really well, it's the using of the bow that causes me trouble." He smiled sheepishly. He had noticed more and more these days how he seemed to do things backwards. He could write music, but was only learning to play. He could aim a bow, but couldn't use it. And he thought darkly, I was born a half-blood, but am only now being seen as one. Apparently, Chase was quite confident in the success of their mission and eager to begin. It was nice to see someone with such vigor and vibrancy to their personality. And he certainly appreciated the offer of protection, regardless of how strangely placed in the conversation it was. "Well, if you promise not to kill me, I guess I can promise the same. Except by accident, there's certainly a chance of me killing you inadvertently." He grinned and his eyes became a bright orange, "And I agree, I think we will certainly get along quite well." He glanced over at Kaylaria as Chase continued to explain. She hadn't spoken a word yet, and something about her just seemed off to Rhaeol. Then she smirked and spoke at last. Apparently, she was the realist of the two. Rhaeol quickly finished his drink before they headed out of the tavern. After they had gathered their supplies, he found himself filled with a bubbling excitement and his eyes flashed sporadically between their various colors. At first, he couldn't figure out why, but then it made perfect sense. All his life, his mind had been filled with music, the world envisioned in tone and sound. Now, he was going in search of the supreme musician. So when, Chase asked, Rhaeol responded with hardly a thought, "I wouldn't miss this for anything."

[Cheshire]

Chase clapped Rhaeol on the shoulder as the threesome looked out into the snowy expanse. "Yes! That is what I like to hear!" The man nudged at Kaylaria with a smile. "And you thought that this whole trip was a waste. Kaylaria of the little faith." Kaylaria smirked lightly before taking the man's arm in her own. "Off we go then. Rhaus here we come!" As the group walked Chase made an effort of keeping the flow of conversation going. He claimed the noise would scare off wildlife. Kaylaria protested, saying they should listen to the world around them but in the end, Chase would prevail. He was her human and she would obey him to the death. "So, tell me more about yourself. I have no doubt we are going to be out here for a while." Chase breathed against his palms as he looked at Rhaeol. The weather was not too bad yet but there was always the worry that it might take a turn for the worst. Morwen's weather had a habit of turning for the worst. "Do you have any brothers or sisters? What is your family like?" He would answer with some statements about himself after Rhaeol answered his own questions. He really had nothing to hide. He was a scholar from Zeltiva just trying to figure out the world around him. Elsewhere, creatures where prowling. The scents of the travelers would carry through the frozen breezes, speaking to them as at the ice sang to the Vantha. Dinner was coming, they would just have to bat it around a little first.

[Rhaeol]

OOCAs you may have noticed, I've been away from miz for awhile I'm going to try and balance my school work a bit better this semester so I have time to post. Rhaeol grinned brightly as they headed out across the snow. Perhaps it was the thrill of adventure, or maybe the crisp, cold air. It likely had something to do with the tingle in his brain from the drink. It may have been something light, but Rhaeol had learned that his tolerance for alcohol was rather low, despite his large size. Chase kept up a constant flow of conversation as they walked. It lightened the mood and was also likely a factor in Rhaeol's cheerful demeanor. It wasn't as if the task of them was frightening, but it certainly was daunting. When Chase asked about his family though, Rhaeol stopped in his tracks. He hadn't told anyone in his family where he was going. His grandparents would certainly worry, even if no one else did. What have I done?! They'll probably keel over and die out of worry. I've killed them!!! He stood stock still in the cold, not considering how absurd he looked. And then he remembered what his grandfather had said the other day about it being time for him to go out and see life, get a job, fall in love, do something besides sit around and write music. Well, they may worry, but it's there own fault then because they told me to go, so if they die... I guess it's a suicide. With that morbidly humorous thought, Rhaeol's smile returned and he continued forward. He responded to Chase's question,"Technically I'm a Snowsong, so i guess I have a lot of family there, but most of them don't like me so they don't really count. My closest family are my grandparents, they raised me after my parents died...They like me. And my Uncle, I'm not exactly sure how he feels towards me actually. " Rhaeol didn't know exactly why he was sharing all this information with a complete stranger so openly, but he felt like he could trust Chase, he seemed...genuine. There was one slight problem he had with the whole venture though. [b]"Um. Dio you know where you're going? The singing snow doesn't seem much to go on."