Beauty
08-17-10, 11:42 PM
(primarily solo and therefore closed for the most part, if you can commit to finishing it and want in, then PM me on my Lady Scarlet account, thanks)
The civil war had not been kind to Salvar, least of all to those few fiefdoms that had managed to hang on to their land and people while the war raged. Kanoth Springs had been no different. In its prime the small town had thrived, if not flourished. It still had a steady supply of water and was relatively self-sufficient. But the war changed all that. The once neat, tidy streets of the town were now littered with refuse. Many of the homes, once kept in impeccable condition were now boarded up, falling apart, or both. The building that had once been committed to the Church of the Ethereal Sway had been burned to the ground. It was not the only building that bore scorch marks.
The strong walls that surrounded Kanoth Springs showed numerous signs of battle, inside and out. Indeed, a battle had taken place here, for when the lord Kanoth Springs had decided to demonstrate his loyalty to the king by ordering the Church burned, the Church had retaliated. Though his city survived, it did just that, survive. The young lord was not necessarily regretful for his decision to go against the Church, but he did realize that he could have been much smarter about the whole situation, especially in consideration of how the war had finally ended. He’d been unable to commit any forces to the army that finally defeated the Church in Knife’s Edge due to the fact that he’d been working hard to keep the Church at bay within his own walls.
The people that remained in this small town looked as haggard and worn as their surroundings. The past winter had been the hardest yet. A good many of them had left to find better lives for their families, leaving only a few to tend the fields that were the town’s only source of food. However, those that stayed were a hardy bunch. Many of them were accustomed to the fact that sometimes the harvest just isn’t plenteous and that although hard time come, they also go. For now, they held to the hope that the spring, just around the corner, would bring with it the weather needed to bring the fields back to their previous prosperity.
At the far end of the town, at the end of the main street that went through the center of town, stood the only building to show no outward signs of the hardships Kanoth Springs had been enduring. The building was a solid three stories high and had a wide, grand front entrance. An iron gate and fence surrounded the lawn in front of it. The walls were pristinely white, like fresh fallen snow. This was the mansion of the current lord of Kanoth Spings, Gregory Carth.
The young man had taken the reigns of ruling the town much earlier than he ever dreamed. A tragic accident involving a young dragon had taken his father’s life. He had not been pleased at hearing the news that he must return home. He was enjoying his life of wandering Althanas with his young, female slave behind him. However, he could not shirk his duties and he knew his mother would need him at home. So he had returned. It had now been almost two years since his father’s death and things were not looking very good. The past winter had claimed his mother’s life. Weakened as she was by her husband’s death, Gregory had been surprised to see that she survived him as long as did.
In all of the despair that hung around the young man’s shoulders when he thought of what the future likely held for Kanoth Springs, there was one thing that could make him smile almost every time he saw it. This “thing” was not really a thing at all, but a beautiful woman. Lady Venus Aphrodite Taraguan had luxurious, long, blonde hair and dazzling green eyes. Her perfect figure was that of most men's wildest dreams. She had come to Kanoth Springs to meet the wandering lord returned home, claiming to be curious about his travels. She’d captured his heart in the 18 months she’d been here and she now held it in the palm of her hand. Of course, not all beautiful women are innocent. In fact, most of them have ulterior motives and Venus was no exception. She had plans for Gregory Carth and had the patience to see them carried out if it took 10 years.
The civil war had not been kind to Salvar, least of all to those few fiefdoms that had managed to hang on to their land and people while the war raged. Kanoth Springs had been no different. In its prime the small town had thrived, if not flourished. It still had a steady supply of water and was relatively self-sufficient. But the war changed all that. The once neat, tidy streets of the town were now littered with refuse. Many of the homes, once kept in impeccable condition were now boarded up, falling apart, or both. The building that had once been committed to the Church of the Ethereal Sway had been burned to the ground. It was not the only building that bore scorch marks.
The strong walls that surrounded Kanoth Springs showed numerous signs of battle, inside and out. Indeed, a battle had taken place here, for when the lord Kanoth Springs had decided to demonstrate his loyalty to the king by ordering the Church burned, the Church had retaliated. Though his city survived, it did just that, survive. The young lord was not necessarily regretful for his decision to go against the Church, but he did realize that he could have been much smarter about the whole situation, especially in consideration of how the war had finally ended. He’d been unable to commit any forces to the army that finally defeated the Church in Knife’s Edge due to the fact that he’d been working hard to keep the Church at bay within his own walls.
The people that remained in this small town looked as haggard and worn as their surroundings. The past winter had been the hardest yet. A good many of them had left to find better lives for their families, leaving only a few to tend the fields that were the town’s only source of food. However, those that stayed were a hardy bunch. Many of them were accustomed to the fact that sometimes the harvest just isn’t plenteous and that although hard time come, they also go. For now, they held to the hope that the spring, just around the corner, would bring with it the weather needed to bring the fields back to their previous prosperity.
At the far end of the town, at the end of the main street that went through the center of town, stood the only building to show no outward signs of the hardships Kanoth Springs had been enduring. The building was a solid three stories high and had a wide, grand front entrance. An iron gate and fence surrounded the lawn in front of it. The walls were pristinely white, like fresh fallen snow. This was the mansion of the current lord of Kanoth Spings, Gregory Carth.
The young man had taken the reigns of ruling the town much earlier than he ever dreamed. A tragic accident involving a young dragon had taken his father’s life. He had not been pleased at hearing the news that he must return home. He was enjoying his life of wandering Althanas with his young, female slave behind him. However, he could not shirk his duties and he knew his mother would need him at home. So he had returned. It had now been almost two years since his father’s death and things were not looking very good. The past winter had claimed his mother’s life. Weakened as she was by her husband’s death, Gregory had been surprised to see that she survived him as long as did.
In all of the despair that hung around the young man’s shoulders when he thought of what the future likely held for Kanoth Springs, there was one thing that could make him smile almost every time he saw it. This “thing” was not really a thing at all, but a beautiful woman. Lady Venus Aphrodite Taraguan had luxurious, long, blonde hair and dazzling green eyes. Her perfect figure was that of most men's wildest dreams. She had come to Kanoth Springs to meet the wandering lord returned home, claiming to be curious about his travels. She’d captured his heart in the 18 months she’d been here and she now held it in the palm of her hand. Of course, not all beautiful women are innocent. In fact, most of them have ulterior motives and Venus was no exception. She had plans for Gregory Carth and had the patience to see them carried out if it took 10 years.