Tensions Running High (Antar, Shai)

[Lariat]

40th of Spring, 512 AV: Endrykas

In the wake of all the massive djed storm, much was left changed, and it was evident as the two travelers crossed into the outskirts of the tent city and came to witness the sheer mass of tents that composed it. Among the tents drykas were of course the most prevalent, but akalaks were a common sight as well, their guarded presence understood and welcome by the ankals of the clans.

To the east of the travelers stretched the Middle Suvan Sea, and vessels moved lazily across its waters as both drykas and akalak worked hard together to gather food for their people. None of the drykas seemed to be concerned with this though, all understanding the necessity of the change and working hard to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. Towards the center of the encampment however, the men and women of the horse clans seemed to be occupied with something, a crowd of drykas and akalak huddling close to were the stalk meet was typically held, all speaking quietly to one another. No one payed attention to them the travelers would come to understand as the found each man and woman's eyes riveted on something hidden just barely from view by the mass of bodies.

A primal roar echoed from the direction everyone was looking and suddenly the crowd parted, the man and symenestra now offered a fine view of a man's head coming free of his shoulders, his crimson blood spraying the drykas gathered around. As one a cheer went up in the crowd, and turning around everyone started dispersing to continue on with their business of the day.

[Antar]

Mingling amongst the crowd was a natural thing for Antar to consider doing instinctively as he rode in on his horse, with his packhorse duskwind following after. He'd bought the other mare for faster travel then his wagon and had left the wagon way back in Sunberth when they had started this journey. Now, pretty much alone with Shai , the pair had decided to part from Riverfall. The city was becoming a place in much of need of work, yet almost burdened by the influx of refugees. Drykas and otherwise. This was one of the reasons, since the pair were capable of making their own way, that the two were setting off. They were in dire need of a guide though, especially amidst the dangerous climes of the plains after a storm and had figured that the tent city would be the best place to find one. At least to the edge of the plains. Whether they would bargain their coin, or their skills for that service in some way remained to be seen. As the crowd up ahead became choked, Antar would make a quiet signal to Shai as he used his knees to steer his horse to one side to tie his two animals up to a mooring post next to a water trough that the tents kept for visiting traders. In the back of his mind, he assessed that was rather smart of them, the ankals of the drykas people were well versed in making people who traded with them seem at ease and that even amidst the chaos following the storms that any provision was made was a good one. The drykas were avid horsemen and workers after all, and such signs of keeping some turbulency meant a few believed the tide after the storms would pass. Though there were certainly signs of things still being off kilter. For after he had dismounted his horse and offered Shai his elbow to walk the crowds, many of these people seemed distracted by some spectacle occurring off in the distance. A spectacle accompanied by riveting silence was taking place in the center of the mass of tents of all different shapes and sizes and out of curiousity he would drift closer and closer. Drawn there by some unseen force until the scent of sweat and the mass of bodies would drawn out the common smell of tanning leather that had been present in the rest of the camp during his approach. 'But what really was going on there?' He looked silently at Shai, raising an eyebrow as they got closer. His thoughts were fixated upon the idea of what could be happening here. Something that was made apparent when the crowds parted enough to see a person's head tumbling from a body. What race or gender he could not know at this distance, but the drowning cheer of those about would answer all that would provide him with further details. This could be many things, a public display of what happened to a slaver, a fight to settle some internal difference amongst the drykas, or an execution? Perhaps a zith or something. If he asked the wrong person, it might look bad. But knowing what was going on round here would allow them to blend in more. Though the asking might make them have some unwanted attention. Taking a worried glance at the woman by his side made him wonder if perhaps it was best to start asking questions, or to stay in seclusion until they figured out what was going down. Though after a half second's perusal the rogue settled on a third option, more reasonable option, asking a nearby akalak what had gone down as akalak's were also guests amidst the drykas like him. As the crowd began to disperse he leaned towards an akalak spectator, raising his voice just enough to ask a question in common. "I' apologize to you Sir for the interruption. We just got here from the city of Riverfall my good sir. What just happened here? Anything we should know about?"

[Shai]

Shai pursed her lips as the rogue beckoned her off of Chi’s back. There were a lot of large humans and even larger animals, all of which could harm or even kill her by accident; the silly man didn’t understand just how fragile she was. For him it was probably simple to know how not to hurt her, but for a stranger? Or worse a stranger’s horse? The spider slid off the stallion’s back but keep his reins close as she walked with Antar; her rogue covered her left and her horse the right. Following she kept her hood down though the long black braid dangle free against her chest the rest of her features were most obscured. The blood spectacle was particularly barbaric but not unlike the ‘justice’ found in Sunberth. Still it seemed in some ways kinder than Kalinor’s justice and in other ways infinitely more base. Following behind Antar she kept quiet verbally but mentally she began giving Chell instructions. She planned to keep her face hidden which meant limited vision of anything but the ground. On the other hand Chell’s sealed form was that of a sapphire necklace reflecting light off her chest. Be my eyes, Chell. Affirmative. Was the entire response she got for several breaths. Then Antar spoke and in her mind a minimalistic description echoed the words, Antar speaks with an Akalak. Waiting silently for his question to be answer, Shai’s heart’s desire was to find a guide through these grasslands and be on her way. Something about the beheading fostered a foreboding clench in her stomach; hopefully these two foreigners wouldn’t be the next without heads.

[Lariat]

The akalak muscular and tall like the rest of his race turned gradually to look at the human who matched him in height, only casually taking notice of the figure at his side, and the horse. "Not drykas are you human" Came the rumbling reply, the pale green eyes of the akalak looking Antar over for any wind marks, and possibly even sizing his ability up. "A leecher was found, justice was dealt, little else to concern you traveler"

The akalak looked towards Shai then, eyebrow arched curiously, and his lips parted to speak when a distant voice caused him to look over his shoulder, and without bidding farewell, the akalak turned around and disappeared into the crowd affording Antar a closer view of the corpse as a drykas man dragged it's heels past him seemingly headed for the endless sea of grass. The headless corpse was dressed in close that once had been quite valued, but in the subsequent last moment's of their owner's life the tailored silk has suffered much wear and tear, and blood stained the rich emerald garment. The corpses head was not to follow it's body though Antar would soon notice as another drykas picked up the distinctly masculine head, and planting a spear in the ground, he firmly set the skull on the top of the pole for all to see before he too walked off to resume whatever demanded his attention now.

Off to the side just beyond the muscular flank's of her horse, Shai would catch a bit of gossip between to elderly drykas women, their voices making clear that they weren't trying to be quiet, a reminder to the symenestra about where she found herself now. "First that nasty bit of trouble with the sapphire clan, and now leechers in our midst. Perhaps Vendra was right" Said one woman disdainfully, her voice filled with venom. "Calm down, the ankal's are handling things as well they can, and for now we have to stay here. Besides Vendra can't leave, her husband is of the Watch and so long as we are here so will their pavilion" The voices faded as the women walked away, till Shai couldn't hear anything more sound of horses and the nearby foot traffic, the graphic executions seemingly forgotten as the kicked up dust covered the blood gradually.

[Shai]

Shai nudged Antar with light elbow in his side. She kept her voice hushed and relayed what she had overheard to him. Whoever the Sapphire clan was, they were apparently a problem. The spider idly wondered if she should hide Chell or if the name was purely symbolic. In hushed tones she asked further, “What is a leecher?” The whole unknown area made her nervous and she really just wanted to hire a guard and be on their way. Just as in Sunberth, at heart Shai was a coward. She could wear the false mask of bravado but it could only last so long. She might be willing to mouth off if she was certain Antar could and would defend her but this was not one of those occasions. “We should keep looking, that was none of our business and we still need to find a guide.” Perhaps some of the spider’s skiddishness could be attributed to the widespread sentiment about her people on Mizahar. Or maybe it was the beheading. Gore didn’t bother the spider but it still wasn’t a reassuring sentiment. Without warning she climbed back onto Chivalis’s back. There was no good reason she could see to walk amongst these heathens and ever reason in the world not to. Happily from the saddle the familiar at her neck had a much better vantage point than her stature usually provided. From here she followed Antar.

[Antar]

Antar's eyes watched the retreating akalak suspiciously, wondering why the male had looked at him like he was trying to assess his skills. He knew from experience what a look of that meant. Neither trouble, nor anything good. He just couldn't put it out of his mind though as he turned back towards the spectacle. His eyes noticed a bit about the body. The expensive interwoven clothes seemed to scream out that the executed had been a member of some class, or at least an afficianado of acting like it. At least in the few cities he'd been to before. Of course, since he didn't have any knowledge of drykas customs and society he couldn't discount the possibility that he was a man hiding amidst the common rabble. He wondered though, using his eyes to try to find signs of just a 'leecher' was. He hadn't been introduced to the concept of them really. Just a passing warning from another that they were bad news and could strip one's shields easily. But the term "leecher'' belied its own connations when considering it was closer to the term leach. Then things became readily apparent. If one of them could strip one's shields real fast what else could they do to another's djed? His thoughts were interrupted by Shai's question, and he pondered a moment before leaning over to reply softly in her ear, just loudly enough to be heard. "Something that feeds off of other's djed I think, I don't know any more then a warning that they can strip off a person's shields rather easily. Anything else I'd have is pure supposition." With that he let her go and mount Chivalis and tied up duskplodder to dawnstrides saddle as he began leading his companions, both animal and female symenestran by the reins through the now vacating areas of the spaces between the tents of the city. Though, truth be told, things here seemed to give a sense of mystery, a telling of secrets, and something deep inside made him want to seek them out. If he was alone, and in a situation not to be concerned about his cover, maybe he would have done so that instant. But for now, his first concern was the protection of his horses, and Shai herself. The rogue hadn't overheard anything like Shai had from the gaggling old drykas women: the crowd had been too thick. But as he went about leading them down the road he was to keep his ears open for anything which might point him in the best direction for hiring a guard across the plains. Soon he saw what looked like a man in a merchant's garb so he handed Dawnstride's reins to Shai and went to observe the man talking awhile with another drykas before making his approach. "Hello sir, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm looking for a place to hire a guide across the plains. My friend and I are traveling back up north and were hoping to be lead across the plains by an experienced hand if possible. Any suggestions?" His mind factored that any merchant worth their salt might have a few ties to referring someone to another. In any society, the one's who controlled the coin, heard the gossip, and knew the lay of the land.

[Lariat]

With the drykas hugging so close to the coast, and keeping near Riverfal, finding a merchant amongst them was much more common that was normal, a fact you could see on the face of every drykas you walked beside. The pain that had echoed from the calamity that was know as the great storm still left everyones feelings mixed about the whole thing, and many pavilion's were in chaos, some even viewing the visiting human's as a nuisance, or in worse cases, a threat. For the most part though, drykas were rather social with the human traders because for the benefit of Endrykas, the heads of clan's welcomed the humans, and as a result the older drykas and a goodly portion of the the younger generation allowed for the presence without to much argument, some even seeking out the humans for one reason or another.

Of course, new to the region, perhaps Antar would perceive things differently and see the conversation between the drykas and the rounded human something of the norm. With the drykas laughing, and the human in similar good human, any outsider would have been hard pressed to notice the weight that pressed over all the populations shoulders, evidence heavy burden of living in such a harsh land during turbulent times, though the intelligent soul could understand the underlying feelings hidden behind the casual banter.

As drykas walked away, and Antar walked towards the merchant, the trader would turn to the newcomer, and offer a disarming smile, his teeth gleaming from behind his bushy beard. "The drykas know these lands better than anyone ever could, but you'll not find any willing to take you this season at least. The times are too troubled, and tensions are high as you've no doubt noticed" He paused for a moment to look up at the figure astride the horse and seemed to fixate for several moments before allowing his gaze to wander easily back to Antar. "I have plan's to cross the grass though, and could always use more guards if your handy with a blade, or if you have a heavy purse I'm sure other accommodations can be arranged"

[Shai]

Shai accepted Antar's explanation of a leecher, the name seemed appropriate so his response was credible in her mind. Magic was magic, and for the most part that was all the spider needed to know about the topic. As the rogue led them the thief kept her eyes down, her difference would be impossible to hide, it was a truth she had come to live with on the surface world. An issue she can confronted and combated in nearly every meeting with a person not of her blood. The speaker, he watches us. Shai, be wary of this man. Your interactions in Sunberth say that those who seek trust should not be trusted. She took her time, considering what Chell had said. The plan was simple; play off her difference in her advantage. It wasn't even the first time she had utilized this tactic. As the Drykas finished his offer, Shai stalled. Holding out the pause as though she was lacking intelligence, that is until she spoke. In wispy Symenos she inquired, " What does he say Anthony?" Turning her still obscured face in the direction of the speaking Drykas. Purposefully the Symenestra layered in her speech with the thickest of Symenos accents. Her few words seemed almost lyrical, " He guard." She affirmed and motioned elegantly towards the rogue, her indication certainly implied Shai excluded herself from the duty. The thief wasn't a guard, she could watch if that was what was asked of her. But to actually defend someone was beyond her capacities. Not only did her skills not lend themselves towards defending another, but her personality ran contrary as well. Certainly the rogue would not allow her to get away with her shirking, but he was savvy enough to wait until such complaints wouldn't harm their cause. On the same line of thought, she had no doubt her partner would immediately pick up on her con. The two had been together for two seasons now, working side-by-side, Shai would have bet Antar could have come with the idea just as soon as she did. The real concern was whether the Drykas would buy her act and if he did what consequences might follow. If she was lucky the spider would be allowed to hear conversations she should never be privy to, if she was unlucky they might lynch her. Always there were gambles. It was a refreshing renewal of the mindset she had held in Sunberth that had gone unused in the relative safety of Alvadas and Riverfall. In each stretch of silence allotted them the sinuous woman listened again to those who passed. The spider, in this case on a horse as opposed to the wall, was still seeking information. Why the execution, more about these 'leechers', and also who was this Vendra. Who knew how long they might be stuck in the city of tents before this caravan left? The trio; Antar, Shai, and Chell, would all need to survive this climate for awhile. And knowing the most prevalent issues would be key in avoiding them.

[Antar]

Antar smiled a bit as the symenestran played her cards with the merchant. Indeed there were plenty of things his skills could go towards 'guarding' a caravan a long ways away. Not that he would reveal them all to just anyone. "Perhaps something of a mutual convenience can be offered. We'd be happy to guard a caravan till the edge of the plains, after that our time would be best served parting ways there and going ahead of them. It's just to the edge of the grasslands we need a guide for before we head north." As he spoke Antar slowly took his bow out of its sheathe and eyed the string, "I'm not sure of a blade per se by I'm not shy about using a bow, normally as a hunter, but anything that comes my way wrong can certainly be feathered in fast enough time. So why is everyone around here on edge anyways? Why are all the drykas seeming to be almost at each others' throats not to guide someone across the plains? Why would your proposal be worth a bit of my extra time it would take to guard your caravan through the plains if just horses tend to go much faster. Aren't there predators out there that are best avoided by going fast? That's what the people in Riverfall said anyways." Antar would watch the man closely as he answered the questions. There was one thought nagging at the back of his mind. Where there was one leecher, who knows if there were more? What was this merchant's reasons for leaving soon anyways? Taking a casual look around the street he watched carefully for the signs of anyone listening into this ongoing conversation. Though his outward appearance remained calm , the rogue would calmly note the locations of any guard he might espy. A little bit of caution always went a long ways.

[Lariat]

Hearty laughed expelled from the merchant at Antar's words, his face going red with the effort as he slapped his knee exaggeratedly. "Have ye been blinded boy? Did you not see what happened the first day of the season!? Maybe your own kind weren't affected, but mine petching where, and so where the drykas, hence our good fortune to even step foot in the tent city in the first place" The merchant chuckled, patting Antar's arm as he took a step closer allowing him to lower his voice.

"From what I garner though, the drykas don't like keeping to the coast but much of the herd they follow has been killed off, and they don't have much of a choice because of it. They never were known to have much have a particular fondness for strangers in their home, and now especially not that leecher found" He paused a moment to clear his throat before taking a step back and resumed speaking in a more conversational tone that could be heard clearly by any nearby.

"The way I see it you don't have much of a choice but to accept my offer and be glad for it. The grasses have always been dangerous but before we had the main roads that wound through it, but with the storm those roads have been overgrown, and the grass is even more deadly. Strange creatures lurk their, things that would tear you limb from limb, and easily out run that fair horse of yours. But go ahead and try it if your feeling brave. You'll be claimed by the grass like all the rest, and I can assure you, when you get lost, and you will, it won't be starvation or dehydration that gets you, it'll be the creatures of the grass" The merchant spoke grimly, raising his eyebrow at the man slightly. Had he not been clothed, Antar could have seen all the scars that marred the skin across his entire body. It was a harsh life traveling the breadth of mizahar, and his body certainly showed for it.