And So It Begins

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Information was exchanged. It was just as Metaldrago said it would be. Lorenor listened to the woman whilst she spoke. His hand went to his chin and he rubbed it gently as she spoke. He kept a respectful distance from her person not standing too close or too far away. Roughly speaking, he was about six paces away from Makira's front side. She spoke of a Guild and just as Metaldrago had said, the Guild was known as The Silent Hand. All though he knew a name, he did not know much more about the Guild than that. The mutant nodded after she'd spoken. He searched within himself for a proper response.

"The one you seek is Metaldrago. He is no longer with us. He is my subordinate. He told me that you would be coming soon." Lorenor revealed, letting her know of the situation. "He told me you would become a powerful asset to our cause." The mutant wondered just how much he should tell her. Flapping in the breeze, his hide cloak danced about giving the small warrior a certain strange appearance. He was an amalgam of different cultures.

On the one hand, he dressed in extravagant clothing made out of the material known as Vlince. It was quite sturdy and offered some sort of basic protection from the elements. His cloak was made out of thick animal hides that heralded from the snowy land of Salvar. Lorenor felt the chill vaguely, but it was nothing like Salvar's endless winter. His arms wrapped the cloak firmly about his person to ward off what cold might be in the air. It didn't bother him, he just didn't like it despite his residence in Salvar.

Lorenor let his words linger for a moment. He knew that she was testing him just like he tested her. The mutant perceived her as an individual with great personal interest to his cause. Listening to the voices in his head, Lorenor decided it was safe to proceed. "There are many projects in our humble town right now. The Enemy is always about." Looking at Makira, Lorenor nodded once again. "We must prepare if we are to survive the coming storm! Come, let us get you situated." Lorenor said and began to walk towards the his house. He assumed that she would follow.

[Makira]

Makira nodded. Her phoenix stretched his wings once but stayed on her shoulder. Makira followed him, once again as she walked her mind wandered often. Though this time it actually had something stray to. MetalDrago was no longer with these people, that could mean many things. She thought over the different possibilities. Metaldrago was a dear friend to her, The only reason she had come out this far to seek him out was because he requested it.

She looked around the buildings once more. She was sure to remember the way and to make sure she was following the man. She did not know his name for he hadn't supplied it when she had offered hers. This man intrigued her. Although whether or not he was to meet with her on information, he knew of Metaldrago. That was what concerned her.

She let her thoughts wander, making sure to follow the man through the paths. She wondered what this man and Metaldrago knew of each other, was he a friend, a family member, or perhaps just a colleague. Perhaps he knew much that he wouldn't or never will share with her about her dear friend. Who knew. The only way to find out of course was to enter his home and discuss such things with him.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

As far as modesty went, the house was a simple structure compared to the rest of the buildings in the small township. Lorenor had insisted on building a multi-floor structure rather close to the smith-shop which was his primary working area. The mutant pointed to his house. Actually, several members of the Forsaken lived in the large house alongside him as it was the largest house in the area aside from the Town Hall. Lorenor had worked alongside the Golems of the Ark to build the structure. He didn't want anything grandiose, but something with a lot of function and practicality. Many rooms for guests, a library, a bathroom or three, and some place to conceal his many wares. As someone who was considered an international traveler, the mutant gathered many wares from many different places. In his main den, where the mutant stayed often, there was a mish-mash of cultural influences. On the one hand, the room was decorated with many oddities from Salvar. The frozen north-land. On the other hand, there were many strange decorations from the local Raiaera.

On the floor immediately visible, upon entry to the chamber, was a thick hide of some Salvarn wilderness beast. The creature's face had a pained expression as it was slain by whatever blade or weapon ultimately felled it. The mouth was agape. Lorenor kept a blue liviol desk in the center of the chamber. A fireplace was erected in traditional Corone style that reflected the mutant's mysterious origins. There were paintings on the wall too. Many of the paintings depicted various battles against the renegade warlord Xem'Zund and his minions. It was a series of paintings referred to as "The Scourge". On the desk was a series of books and ancient texts. Some of them were written in various dialects that were recognizable, such as, Common Raiaeran, but others were written in more bizarre tongues.

There was a collection of these works on the tables. It was clear that the mutant was a collector of various wares. He kept a prevalida sword atop his fireplace, in its scabbard and on the mantle. Along one of the walls there hung a powerful looking masterwork crossbow. Clearly this was a man who enjoyed his trophies. He walked into the room, and noticed that there was a drink on his table. He took a moment to analyze it from afar, and noticed it was safe for consumption. A few moments after the mutant entered the room, a girl who appeared to be a member of the town's work-force showed up. She looked at the mutant with sincere respect.

A demure girl, she had glowing amber-colored eyes. Her eyes were as energies that flowed out from her eye sockets. She had her hair braided, and it was colored purple. Her skin was dark brown. She wore a simple black dress and hide shoes. There didn't seem to be any weapons on her person. She looked from Makira to Lorenor for a moment, nodded and then spoke out loud. "Would either of you like refreshments?" She said in perfect common-tongue, Corone dialect.

Lorenor looked at the girl for a moment. "I'd like a Pitcher of Red Forest Vodka." He said calmly, in the mood for a drink. Lorenor pulled up a chair for his guest. "Please. Do make yourself comfortable. You must be hungry and thirsty. Mi'lady. Please get my guest whatever she might like." He said to the waitress being sure he spoke loudly enough for both of them to hear. Lorenor sat down on a chair that was waiting behind the desk. There was a glow-orb atop the structure and he turned it on to full power. It lit up the room well. The fireplace was lit as well, offering a certain warmth to the otherwise coffin-like chamber. Lorenor allowed no natural light in his personal quarters. The waitress turned to look at Makira briefly with eager eyes.

[Makira]

Makira turned to the girl. She tilted her head in thought, She noticed her phoenix restless, the phoenix settled for the back of another chair. " i think some well cooked meat for my phoenix, and for myself i shall have the same drink perhaps a tray of spiced potatoes with strips of meat as well. if you don't mind of course." She said sitting down in the offered chair.

When the girl rushed off with a curtsy Makira shook her head slightly. " you have a nice home, well furnished if not strange. The weapons... the one over the fireplace. prevalida if i am not mistaken, my lord." she said. She didn't particularly like the title and it seemed to sound odd on her tongue. However he was of yet to give his name so she had little choice but to give him such a title.

She did like this room. The way it seemed to reflect its master instead of a facade of a room that could belong to anyone. The personality of the place seemed to match the master, though she hadn't known this man for more than a few moments and did not know his name. Though being in the room seem to teach you more about him then he would let on.

" you seem to have your comforts and luxuries. A good thing i suppose in hard times." she admitted. It was nice to have such comforts and luxuries every once in awhile, to often though and as far as she'd seen. One became quite spoiled to it. The man was well mannered, hospitable, kind. At least to her, at least in this moment. She could not truly fault herself for mistrusting such kindness, She was the leader of the Silent Hand, a thieves guild.

Mistrust came to her much easier than trust, She hoped though, that the man would not be offended by this mistrust. Hoped that in away he was a kind as he appeared. She almost shook her head to clear such thoughts. She knew why such thoughts were in her mind. MetalDrago. She trusted Metaldrago, and MetalDrago trusted this man, that's why she wanted to trust him.

However despite the fact that she wanted to trust this man, she had to be realistic. She knew who she was, she had told him who she was. This could easily become a difficult and compromising situation. She did her best to remain calm polite, but her thoughts were running in her mind. She was tense. She could feel the slight strain in the muscles of her shoulders. She waited for him to speak.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor studied her for a brief moment. He could see the muscles knotted, and could smell the metallic scent of tension in the air. It had a particular texture to it, like rust. And it added a specific red-like color in the room's atmosphere that was quite subtle. Lorenor was capable of seeing colors and raw energy in its most intimate form. She spoke, and the mutant listened, folding his hands across the liviol desk. His eyes were closed, and the glowing purple energy faded allowing his face to be blanketed by a thin layer of darkness. His hood was down now. She could clearly see his hideous face, terribly scarred. Sad. His skin was dark-gray, and three slits on either hemisphere of his face were visible were a nose would be. He had dreadlocks that hung at the middle of his back, and were quite thick indeed. Lorenor's smell was like smelling the raw scent of death. If one were not used to such a horrible smell, it was known to bring a grown man to tears. A hideous creature, Lorenor was a monster that played at being a nobleman. He did little to attempt to hide his physically corrupt nature.

This room was his personal lair. He had taken a great amount of time and resources to construct the building and its individual rooms. More importantly, he had wanted a personal sanctuary away from the shrine hidden in the basement of this very same structure. Lorenor found himself thinking about the various items in the room, maybe, some would find such a personal quarters rather gaudy. Lorenor had the title of Lordship in Salvar which meant that he was entitled to his own fiefdom. He managed and maintained the fiefdom out of pocket and the resources of his personal contacts in Knife's Edge.

Lorenor did not interrupt her once when she spoke. When she was done, he suddenly realized that he never introduced himself. His cheeks flushed, and his facial features revealed the facial features of someone native to the lands of Haidia. Lorenor had deeply inset cheekbones, a well defined zygomatic arch, deeply inset eye-sockets, and an arching forehead. The wrinkles in his skin were as deep as the crags and hallways of Haidias' bottomless cavern. Once she finally stopped talking, the mutant nodded in silence. He wore a smile on his face when he realized she was well-cultured indeed.

"You are most observant indeed. I could see why MetalDrago trusted you with his vital information. You seem to be very well cultured." Lorenor said calmly, complimenting her. "There is no need for titles here. My lordship is not in this land anyway. And I am merely a servant of the N'Jal Protocol. My name if V'halkulus. Lorenor V'halkulus. I am most pleased to make your acquaintance. I am only saddened that MetalDrago cannot be with us. And I am afraid I have no information about his current whereabouts. He went on a personal pilgrimage. That is the only information I can reveal at this time." Lorenor really wished he knew more than that. But his friend vanished after time passed and that was all that he knew. Lorenor's informants within the town revealed that his companion left on an errand to some distant land. Perhaps Keribas. He didn't know and N'Jal would not reveal any information no matter how much he begged his goddess to know the whereabouts of his lost brother. He knew despite that, that his friend was gone indefinitely. And this saddened him deeply.

"He did tell me that you were going to arrive though. You were expected company. I hope that my township will be enough to provide you with what you acquire. Or perhaps, you are here for religious purposes and seek the N'Jal Protocol for yourself? Mayhaps this might be the case?"

[Makira]

She looked upon his features and didn't react at all, the smell of fresh death hit her nostrils and she didn't even blink. " i imagine you've gone though quite alot in your life to gain the countenance you have." She said leaning back in her chair. The smell in a way was easy to get over. She had killed many and done it often to know the smell. "Thank you Lord Lorenor, for the compliment. But i fear compared to you i am uncivilized." she said her tone light, as if to make a small joke of the caparison no matter how true it is.

" I am sorry to say my lord, i believe little in gods and goddess's. I like to stay neutral and whatever the gods gift me during my travels i thank them for that kindness. I do not however wish to offend you by saying so. My apologies if have." she nodded in her way of a slight bow.

Makira leaned back in her chair, her stomach growled and she blushed in embarrassment. "for....forgive me. it's been awhile since i had a decent meal, i am thankful for you hospitality." she said.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

At that point, the maid-like individual showed up with the food and drink they had requested. She placed it on a nearby cabinet that wasn't as cluttered on the top as his desk was. Smiling politely, she nodded towards the two of them and left the room quietly to attend to other duties. The door was closed behind the maid as she left and Lorenor returned his attention to Makira. "Please. Help yourself to some food." Lorenor said quietly, he got up and served himself a goblet full of the vodka, it had a particularly strong taste and was well known for its warming properties. There were stronger proof liquors out there, but the mutant preferred the tingling sensation unique to vodka as it didn't leave him in a drunken stupor. Lorenor's own hunger could wait until the lady had gotten her share of food first. He took a deep pull of the drink and set the goblet down upon the desk. Once that motion was completed he looked upon her whilst she ate and drank. There was a soft smile on his face. He was generally appreciative of the lady's company. To Lorenor, she was clearly an intelligent woman.

Sadly, the mutant's own intellect probably paled in comparison to the lady's intellect. Not even remotely brilliant, the mutant had in survival skills what most of his caliber had in book smarts. When it came to the N'Jal Protocol however, the mutant was always ready for a good discussion of the minds. There were those who did not believe in the Thayne, and Lorenor carried the N'Jal Protocol with him. He had seen the End of Days.

Removing one of the documents at his disposal, he picked up and walked over to her position. It was a map of the local area, in Narenhad, and the surrounding areas of the Red Forest. Raiaera was well known for its diverse cultures and varying land types. The map was of primarily of several areas within the Red Forest. "I trust your cartography skills are up to par." Lorenor began. He handed her the map. "We are currently in full operation against the enemy of All. Xem'Zund. He has restarted the Burning Crusade against Althanas and has taken much of Raiaera proper. If left unchecked, he could very well lay siege to greater Althanas as whole. We must not allow this to occur. Xem'Zund commands the Scourge. As a race, my people have broken free from the Scourge and ultimately, Xem'Zund's command." Lorenor looked off in the distance as if he were listening to something very far away. Memories poured in his skull. I see my brothers. They are dying to the horrors of the Scourge. I see my enemy, he is the commander of the Scourge. I see my weapons, it is purest Prevalida. And I see my fellows. The men and women of Mosil-Z'sarug. Images of Xem'Zunds' Death Lords fighting his siblings coursed through his mind. He would have his revenge.

"Time is always against us." Lorenor said calmly. "It was one of Xem'Zunds' Death Lords that raised Valinatal and created this Blasted Land. Understand where we have been to understand where we are going. Plans are in motion to attempt to take down Xem'Zund if possible. If it is even within our means to do so. Or perhaps, he has lived so long and waged The Burning Crusade for so long that he has become immune to the ravages of Death." Lorenor said. He was speaking what he knew of the current situation. If she was to be an asset, she needed to know things. "There are terrors out in the Red Forest. Even now, The Scourge move. I need dedicated warriors." Lorenor said. "If you wish to join the crusade against the Scourge, you will be well-rewarded and well paid. I can offer you room and board, a some safety against the coming storm. It is the least I can offer a friend of Metaldrago." Lorenor spoke with true sincerity in his voice.

[Makira]

Makira nodded pausing in her food to look at the map. It was a very detailed map and she stared studying it. She could hear her phoenix eating, but that was quickly tuned out. She continued studying it before she leaned back in her chair. Her eyes closed in thought. there was no reason not to join his cause. If she did her group was well protected from a threat that had no interest in them.

She opened her eyes taking a drink of her vodka. " Room and board. and you'll pay me. I am the leader of a the silent hand. Precisely what would my services be?" she asked. Makira could fight, but she was better at stealth. However that's why she was asking. Her information skills and abilities could help them. She just wasn't quite sure how.

She stared back down at the map, remembering the details of it. marking it to memory. It was handy that she would remember it if she studied it long enough. It would be easier to navigate her way around without carrying the map on her person.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"I need skilled warriors."

Lorenor began, he let her hang on to the map for the time being. He started to move around the room, pacing back and forth. His thoughts were on the various matters at hand, both here in Raiaera, Corone, and Salvar. Lorenor traveled constantly and involved himself knee-deep in the problems of the world. History would remember men like Lorenor. He listened to her calmly as she spoke. Her Guild, a Thieves Guild, could be useful to him. The mutant rubbed his chin whilst she spoke. He walked over to the desk and took a deep pull of the vodka, feeling its hot effects. He cringed a moment and put the goblet down. Once she was done speaking, he turned to look at her with those piercing amethyst eyes.

With a slight frown on his face, the mutant began with his offer. "You look like someone who is quite capable an adept. There are many in the town who are strong and powerful, but that is not what we need. We need someone who can lead, who can be tactful and who can help us rise above the Burning Crusade." Lorenor allowed his facade of strength and self assurance fade for a moment. He was worried about matters at hand, really worried. "If the enemy remains unchecked, I fear what will happen to our world." Not pious by any means, the mutant knew that without a world to plunder there would be naught but chaos and anarchy. He often wondered what it was that Xem'Zund was really looking for.

There had to be something. Otherwise the Burning Crusade seemed like a pointless endeavor, at least in Lorenor's mind. Why would he wage an endless war? What would be the gain? What would be the profit? Lorenor wondered those things. He would have words with Xem'Zund if he ever chanced upon his presence. Lorenor shook his head. "Come now my friend. Eat and drink for the time being. I will be certain that a room is prepared for you." The mutant said. "You must be very tired from your trip over here." Lorenor had work to do as well for the remainder of the night. He took a fruit, a plum to be exact, and began to slowly munch on it. He sat down again after the small exchange and looked at Makira.

"This is a war for survival. We must find the means to fight Xem'Zund. Though I fear it is already too late for Althanas."

[Makira]

Makira went back to her meal. As she ate she considered his words. A fight of survival, indeed it was. That had been her secondary reason for coming, the first being that Metaldrago had asked her. She finished her meal, unrushed and enjoying the taste. She picked up a provided napkin to clean her mouth. Even having been eating as decorum demanded, spiced potatoes were still a bit messy. She her cup of the vodka sitting by her plate, she drank a sip before looking at him. The hot liquid rushed through her throat. It took her a few moments before speaking.

"Survival it is, I understood this matter when i accepted the invitation to come. Some of my guild members had been executed by this threat, for that alone i wish to help you. I've no desire to see my guild whittled away by men such as under the command of Xem'Zund." she said from her seat at the desk.

She turned to look back at the map, it was all but committed to memory now. The glances she had looking at the map had slowly pieced it together in her mind. "Lorenor, from my understanding of you, little as it is. You don't seem to be the type of man to trust others easily. Yet you invite me, a thief by trade, into your home. Not only that, you've fed me and offered a place to stay." she paused looking back at him, her eyes meeting his. " forgive me if it is forward, but for what reasons do you do such things, offer such kindness." she asked her expression impassive, but her eyes reflected the guarded trust and curiosity.