• Solo • Voices on the Wing (Graded)

[Kalortah]

1st of Saun, arc 717

Synopsis

Often, it is those that are least expected to break the mold that do so the most effectively. As an Avriel, many don't expect Kalortah to become the next great singer and songwriter of Idalos, but if he tries hard, he can do so. And it is often in the least expected place that one finds inspiration. For Kalortah, his inspiration is found in a Slave Raider named Jenelle. A singer herself, Jenelle is the most beautiful vocalist that Kalortah has ever heard. Will he break the social customs of the city and approach her, asking her to train him to be the best he can? Or will he allow the social structure of the slave city to dampen his seemingly bright future?

Cloud-white wings were folded behind Kalortah's back, as he perched in a high tree. His visage was hidden by the bright foilage, the white obscured by the bright clouds overhead. He watched there, and waited. He'd been coming to this spot just outside the city, to the north, for some trials now. This region of the outlands beyond the city of Athart were home to many straggling lesser populations. Humans, Sev'ryn, and many other kinds plied the coasts as pirates, smugglers, and general nuisances. It was a lucrative business, albeit one of the most risky propositions for pirates of Idalos. Athart was wealthy, flush with all manner of resources, and private enterprises paid well for smuggled goods going in and out. A miasma of wealth awaited anyone who wanted a taste of the fruits of Athart.

Many of these pirates, smugglers, and assorted scum ended up on the wrong end of a slaver's club. That was one of the risks they accepted for a taste of exquisite wealth. Liberty or Thralldom.

He wasn't here to witness the slavers conducting their work, nor to aid them. He'd caught wind of a beautiful vocalist among them. A human! To think that a human was capable of forming such sounds as sublime as she boggled the mind. He'd been watching her since he heard her battlecry by chance in a flyover of those outlands.

He waited, he watched, hoping to spot her again.

Kalortah didn't know yet if he would risk ostracism to speak to this human, much less train under her. To think that a lesser could teach the glorious avriel anything was a thought alien to most of them. But not to Kalortah. It had been a Sev'Ryn that exposed the then young avriel the ways of music, the beauteous waves of air that weaved through the sounds, that were as beautiful to hear as they were to gaze upon. The pattern that this woman made with her voice was beyond comparison to that Sev'ryn, who in all was a mediocre singer.

Kalortah waited with bated breath, leaning forward on his tree branch, and casting about to see if she would show her face.

[Kalortah]

She emerged from the brush not long after Kalortah had been waiting. She wielded the standard armament and leathers of a slave raider, a spiked club, with each needle-like spike tipped with paralytic poison. A dagger served as her side arm, and a net to pull her catch along the jungle floor. Dragging them to the pit of reflection where these former savages could receive domestication. Kalortah didn't think she was all that 'beautiful'. Her hair was straight like any other human, with a button nose and curvy figure. Not at all aerodynamic, and of course lacking a pair of glorious wings. Besides, there was a certain charm about her to Kalortah's reckoning, as a mouse to a cat.

He waited for her to sing, hiding behind the brush, where his brilliant plumage was well disguised by the white blossoms.

She did sing, but in a language that he didn't understand. It took a moment for the recognition to dawn on him. It was Dehasin, the slave language spoken by the humans and Athart. He knew not a word of it, but could recognize the gutteral sounds anywhere. And he knew some common, so he could rule that out . His brow furrowed as he listened. Though the words assaulted his ears with their misshapen syllables, he couldn't help but admire the shapes and beauty of the sound of her voice. The rumors didn't do it justice. It was almost a crime that she had to sing in Dehasin, as it was poor form for humans to speak Lorien, even if they could understand it.

He decided to end her solitude , rising to his feet and showing himself, spreading his magnificent wingspan. Her eyes lifted to meet his, and her voice caught in her throat. She stammered out some unintelligible sounds that resembled an apology. Kal took note of the sounds they made, making sure to note them in his mind lest he hear them again in a different context. He approached her , making a gesture to show that she should stay.

She had turned around, but froze when he began approaching. "I sorry." She said in broken common. "Not know avriel here. I understand Lorien, if you want."

He smiled, and shrugged. He now knew that they'd be able to communicate, though his common wasn't the best either. He spoke his favored language of Lorien to her, "Your voice is like silver. It's waves shine over the air and drew me here."

Her cheeks went red in color, and Kalortah smiled again. It wasn't a kind smile, but the sort that a predator might flash at a tasty morsel. He drew closer, "Let me sing you a song of my people. And you can sing it back to me in Dehasin?" Kalortah had to admit he was eager to learn more languages, especially one as useful as that.

She nodded to him, smiling coy as signs of tension diminished in her form. Her hand drifted from the needle-spiked club at her side.

He stepped backward, and watched the words form on the wind. He sang:

"Dread winds blow,
Through the boughs of trees.


Flesh, Avriel and Slave,
Both part 'neath a butcher's blade.


The suns shine on pools,
Where life's blood leaked.


The Feathered's Prey falls,
Her cries unheard in green glades"

The slave raider listened to his song with rapt attention. It was possible she didn't understand it, or perhaps detected no threat inherent in his words. In any event, she went on to sing his song.

The words flowed exquisitely over the wind. Kalortah could appreciate the shape of her voice. He closed his eyes and focused on every gutteral syllable and butchered turn of phrase.

He had no idea if she actually had butchered the phrase, given his lack of understanding of Dehasin, but commited her diction to memory. He would refer back to it as he learned more about that language in the future.

She went on to sing for another minute, repeating the song as many times as Kalortah requested. Like a good little morsel should. She squeaked out the words like a mouse might as the cat had it in his jaws.

He allowed her to repeat the song as many times as was necessary, and at the final lap, rushed her. He picked up her stout form, and flew off, gaining through the air though he had to struggle with the extra load. "Keep singing." He commanded her, in Lorien.

It was a new sensation, flying with such a large cargo, but he supposed he had to learn at some point. This would make a decent subject for songs to sing for other of his kind.

He took her up through the air, over the treelines, and toward the east, where a forest of stone pillars waited. She screeched now her song, her voice less melodic with every meter gained in the air.

"What is your name?" He demanded of her, hugging her close as he gained ground on their destination.

"Mavesa! Mavesa master avriel please!" She screeched between lines.

"Don't stop singing for me. So long as your song is sweet to my ears, you will not fall."

So she continued to sing, as he circled the clearing in the forest where he intended to render her final judgment. Her voice didn't improve for the stress she was in. It cracked and broke between sobs and pleading. It was a miserable rendition of his pristine wordsmithery. Sadly, he had to let her go. She slipped through his arms as he lost his grip, and her melodic screams echoed through the forest of stone.

Kalortah relished the shapes of the echo she made in her final moment. Then alighted to the ground next to her body. Remarkably, she was still alive! Crawling and crippled, but alive.

"That was clumsy of me, morsel." He said with a chuckle, "Are you able to walk?"

The once fierce and proud singing slaver had become a helpless child. She wept and crawled along the floor, blood leaking from the wounds in her legs as she shook her head to his question. "I'm sorry. I can't bear to see you in such a state. It offends my eyes." So saying, he took her dagger, and thrust it between her ribs. The tip found purchase in her heart.

In a few moments, he reflected on the life and death of the beautiful slave raider, who'd fallen so far. He wiped the blade of the dagger, and tucked it back into it's sheath which he transplanted to his own belt. She had a few nels on her, about twenty gold. A fair contribution to his career as a singer.

"Thank you for the tip, morsel."

Having said that, he buffeted the blood from his wings, and went off to celebrate his newfound inspiration.

[Kasoria]

Review Rewards

Kalortah

Points awarded:
10xp

Knowledge:
Linguistics: Memorizing syllables in an unfamiliar language.
Dehasin: Language of human slaves.
Dehasin: An unrefined dialect.
Dehasin: A valuable language skill for those in the slave trade.
Strength: Bearing a being equal in mass on the wing.
Flying: Dropping your prey to kill them.

Loot: 20gn, and a Dagger (Normal Quality)

Notes:

Wow. Was not expecting Kal to go Full Bateman on the poor girl! Then again, she's a slaver, so my sympathy is limited. I liked how this story evolved, more specifically the depiction of the character. You really showed off the duality of the Avriel: curious and delicately cultured, while also being downright monstrous with his attitude towards other species.

That said, no Renown was really earned, since there were no other witnesses to the act and you're in a jungle, so who knows how long it'll be until the body is found? Also, be careful with things like "Memorizing" in your Lore Requests: that implies an ease and breadth of ability that's very close to unrealistic and easy to abuse. Aside from those two things, I really enjoyed this chilling little insight into Kal, and I look forward to more!

Your review request is here. Also, please indicate on your request thread that this has been reviewed by using the button below (just add my name at the end). Thanks!

Code: Select all

[center][img]/gallery/image.php?album_id=39&image_id=7932[/img][/center]

If you have any questions, comments or concerns in regards to this review, feel free to PM.