Completed -=A New Era=-

[Sypha Kai]

-= 1st of Fall, 513 AV=-

-=Kabrin Road=-

-Thick clouds painted the morning sky a dark grey as a soft rain descended over Kenash and the surrounding plantations. The weather encouraged a somber mood, as did the news that Zavic Paille was to be sworn in as the town's newest Magistrate. It wasn't that Sypha Kai didn't like the Paille Dynasty, it was more like he didn't enjoy the opportunity for more laws to be made. There were enough as it was, but of course there was always a chance that one or two laws could be swept under the rug as well. It was important for a Freeborn to attend the changing of the Magistrate for that very reason. Not knowing the laws in this city could get you in a lot of life altering trouble.

-Dark brown voids gazed eargerly through the thin wooden slits of the wagon's shutter mounted window,
watching patiently as a white robed form steadily approached. The constant drizzle played gently against
the outer frame of the wagon that Sypha Kai comfortably occupied. A mischevious smile spread over his
lips at the thought of how cozy it was inside, and at how miserable the slave sitting at the helm of the
bright red carriage must have been. It was the small things, like degrading slaves, that got him through
the day.

-The crimson door to the Fire Fox wagon was then flung open and a damp figure quickly slipped into
the welcoming vessel. The painted door then slammed shut, startling the two horses that were positioned
infront of the halted coach. "Could you have parked any further?," an angered, feminine voice asked from
beneath an ivory cowl. The slave driven carriage had come to a stop where the road leading to the
Whitesnake mansion met with Kabrin Road, the main passage that ran through most of Kenash's
plantations.

-"Don't blame me... the driver is afraid of Whitesnake... you know how slaves are about rumors," Sypha
was quick to defend himself, instead redirecting the blame to the sodden slave out in the rain. His lips
worked unseen behind the coiling wrap of his turban as he spoke, his entire countenance shrouded except
for the parted gap around those deep brown eyes.

-"Rumors? What rumors?," the woman immediately demanded. The glistening cowl that had hid her face
was now thrown over head and her light blue eyes stared intently at the Eypharian. Her features were a
little on the heavy side with limited beauty to notice, but it was her crystalline eyes that could hold a man's
attention.

-"Well...," the Mercenary leaned forward, closing the distance between himself and his chubby guest
before releasing his voice once more, "...I've heard the Sitai making claims that the women of the Lorak
family give birth to serpents... from their arse..." Sypha Kai slowly leaned back to his original position,
his cushion seat making an audible creaking noise as he did.

-The doctor sat there for a moment in disbelief, not knowing exactly how to respond to something so
preposterous. The soft pouches that made up her full cheeks jiggled lightly with a sudden
frustration and her icey sight slightly widened. A diminutive fist slammed down as hard as it could
against the durable cushion. "Such blasphemy will not go unpunished! Surely Madam Lorana will
hear of this!," the medicine practitioner exclaimed.

-Sypha's grin was invisible beneath the layers of his scarlet turban. After living within Kenash for a
little over a year now, the Mercenary had learned when and who's buttons to press. It didn't hurt to add
a little fuel to a fire that would never burn out. The Eypharian, who looked much like a Human with
his lower pair of arms carefully hidden, shifted gently in his seat while retrieving an item from his
enfolding cloak. Once producted out in the open, the doctor's objections fell silent and her mouth
dropped an inch lower in surprise. She then muttered, "You found it...."

[Sypha Kai]

-"Of course I found it...," Sypha's arrogance resonated in his voice. A thin silver chain slid slowly
between the slender fingers of his only ungloved hand, the diminutive vial looped at the end
of the necklace spinning lightly with the movement. Inside the vial was a clear liquid which
trembled within its miniture glass prison. The Mercenary had no idea what it was, but he knew
it was more than just a few drops of water.

-"Becareful!... Do you know how hard that is to come by?," the overweight woman exclaimed
as her pudgy hand suddenly reached out to claim what was hers. Her skin registered the swift
slap before her vision had a chance and her grasping hand immediately withdrew, more from
surprise than from pain. It was plain to see on her rotund visage that she had not expected her
hand to be struck, especially from a man on such a low class level. He was only a Freeborn
afterall, nobody special.

-"It's not polite to snatch... leave that to the thieves... like the one that stole this from you
in the first place," his charcoal rimmed eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke in a more serious
tone. His upper right hand, bare and branded, slowly opened with unraveling digits, presenting
the round doctor with her returned possession. There was a moment of silence between them
that brought back the repetitive drum of the early morning rain. It had yet to ease up and if
anything, it had gotten worse outside the decorative carriage.

-"Tears from an Ashen Peeler...," the woman finally said as she took the silver necklace, slowly
this time, from his opened hand. Her eyes seemed to focus in on the small amount of dancing
liquid, allowing her thick fingers to play over the vial charm. It seemed as if she had lost herself
for a moment before snapping to and returning her line of sight back to the cloaked figure
infront of her. "Could you imagine how difficult it is to extract this from such a vile
animal?... You must be careful in the future when handling rare medicinal components," the
doctor advised him.

-"Probably as difficult as me running your thief down... which took a great deal of effort on
my part you know...," Sypha was quick to insert himself, for the world revolved around him.
"And with great effort comes great reward yes?... I expect you to live up to your end of the
deal...," the Eypharian added, shifting his limber frame once more to find a more
comfortable position.

-There was a languid roll of thunder that traveled across the clouded sky, the
trembling volume causing the coach's horses to stir stressfully. The sun would be rising
soon, but beneath the storm's pillowy expanse one could not tell, for the land remained
shaded and gloomy. The doctor, who worked under the Lorak family, offered an angry
expression at the resounded thunder. The large woman very carefully placed the captured
tears into a small pouch and firmly sealed it with thin string. She looked up at the man
sitting across from her, finally responding," I'll get you an audience with one of the family...
but I make no promises of the outcome."

-Without giving the Mercenary another chance to speak, the medicinal practitioner rose
from her cushioned seat and exited the Red Fox rental, slamming the door shut
behind her. Sypha Kai's expensive cloak immediately unfolded upon her departure,
allowing his second pair of arms to reach outward in a much needed stretch. Kenash was
a Human infested city that didn't see many Eypharians, especially those branded with
the mark of a Freeborn. This was a precarious place for Sypha to endure, so the less
attention drawn to his unique body structure the safer he was. Keeping two of his
upper appendages hidden was difficult at times, but it was his accent and his use of
the Common language that proved more troublesome. He had improved his Common
over the year he had lived in Kenash, but his Eypharian accent continued to linger.

-The Mercenary's lower left arm reached over and a gloved fist firmly rapped against
the side of the coach, signaling for slave outside to move on. The horse drawn carriage
was immediately pulled forward. Sypha leaned closer to the window he sat by, his left
upper hand applying pressure to the wooden shutters so he could peak outside. -Reminds
me of a Kenashire- He thought to himself as he watched the backside of the ivory robed
woman, her wide physique hurriedly making its way down the road that led to Whitesnake.

[Sypha Kai]

-The coach Sypha had rented was on its way back from lush vegetation of the country side
to the bustle of the city. The slave driver atop the carriage directed the two harnessed horses
down Kabrin road, his simple attire completely drenched by the morning drizzle. They had
just left the Lorak family's Whitesnake mansion and were now working their way along
the Lorak Plantation. Tall fields surrounded them on either side of the stone embedded road
with swarms of soft white cotton gracing the tips of the stalks, as if a light snow had settled over
the extensive terrian.

-At the pace they were going, it would take thirty chimes to return to the interior of the city and
roll up to the Magistrate's Office. Sypha Kai would miss the beginning of Zavic Paille's prepared
speech, but that he was glad to avoid. The Mercenary didn't care much for all the formalities or
festivities, what he wanted was information about which laws would be stricken out and what
new laws would be implemented. Those marked as a Freeborn had to pay special attention to
these law changes, unless they wanted to end up as slaves.

- The Eypharian kept his dark brown eyes upon those bountiful fields, observing the multitude
of slaves that had begun their work that morning. The bolls at the apex of each cotton plant were
overcome by the fluffy white fiber that it produced, allowing those in servitude easy access with
their calloused fingers. Each servant had large hand woven baskets that they either placed
beside them or strapped to their back, giving them the ability to quickly store their cotton and
reach the productivity that their masters desired. He would never end up like them, Sypha Kai
was too proud of an Eypharian to be owned by Humans.

-The carriage finally came upon the river that flowed from Uvic Lake to the Suvan Sea. The
driver would now lead them off the Kabrin road and onto a side road that would take them
up into Kenash thru the West Bank portion of the city. The rumbling coach passed a few
businesses along the way including: The Traveler's Inn, Rarity Butchers, and the Draer Family's
Bottled Dreams. Many residential homes littered the path as well before they came upon their
destination, the court yard infront of the Magistrate's Office. As his transport rolled into the
area congested with town folk, Sypha could barely hear the shouting voice of Magistrate.

-His rich black cloak slipped around his frame as he rose from his crimson seat, carefully
positioning its folds over the back of his rounded shoulders so that his upper appendages
may remain free of hinderance. His lower pair of arms went back into hiding with either
leather bound hand securely grasping the cloth handles sown inside. These unique
additions gave Sypha much more control over the movement of his cloak than other
people had, and now he used them to pull the thick fabric around his legs and mid
section for concealment.

-The Mercenary exited the comfort of the carriage, and with nimble ease he had
climbed up onto the top of the transport. The sudden series of movements brought a
surprised expression from the startled driver, but knowing his place he said nothing to
the strange Freeborn. On the roof of the brightly decorated coach, Sypha was not only
able to hear the Magistrate's words more clearly, but his attire was also collecting the
moisture falling from the grey sky. It had to be raining on a day like this didn't it?

-The list of current laws were bellowed forth for all to hear, as well were the three
newly added laws that the Magistrate saw a need for. Sypha, wet and now unhappy,
released a string of smooth obscenities in his native tongue. His upper appendages
crossed over the small swell of his chest in anger as he gave his attention to the
slave driver. " Are you kidding me? What is this nonsense with these damned
peace knots? And expulsion for brandishing weapons without *just* cause...
These laws were Skritcher crap last season and they'll make my job just as hard
this petching season...," the Freeborn said in a firm, low toned voice.

-The slave driver's eyes widened slightly, as if he was expecting to recieve a strike
along with those angered words, but again kept his silence. Shaking his turban
wrapped head from side to side in disappointment, Sypha unfolded his tense
arms and dug into the pouch tied to his red waist sash. A single gold miza and
five silver mizas were tossed in the slave's direction before he jumped off the roof
of the carriage, not caring if the driver was able to catch every coin. He landed
low with his knees bending deeply, sending a brief splash of muddy water in
every direction. He would walk from here, brewing with distain.

-=End=-

[Poppy]

...because you've EARNED it!

Sypha Kai :

+3 Observation
+2 Rhetoric
+1 Business
+1 Intelligence
+1 Disguise

The Laws of Kenash
Kenash: Primarily Human

Notes: :

First of all - good job with the atmosphere in this thread. Very descriptive and gives a good picture of both the weather and the drama unfolding within the carriage.

On your Tears of an Ashen Peeler - with more description, this could have worked. As it is, you've simply named the item and hinted that its medicinal. In the future, flesh out your creations more.

Please keep in mind that Eypharian arms are not so easily hidden. Basic anatomy dictates that, even under a cloak, there would be outlines and shapes visible. And if, for instance, you were hiding them by clasping them to your stomach, this would cause much more stilted and obvious mobility issues for you.

In short: detail, detail, detail!

Please PM me with any questions, comments, or concerns!