Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Posted: **Wed Aug 17, 2016 2:06 pm**

Silks and Schemes

32 Saun 716

“We’re becoming Rylon’s errand boys these days,” Liarra whined as she and Kyeran walked through the streets, trying to find their employer’s favorite tailor to pick up his clothes. Unconsciously, her hand wandered to the sword strapped to her waist. “I should have gone ahead and joined the war efforts.”

By this time, her Aukarian companion didn’t even bother to look at her as they passed by another merchant hawking their wares under the relentless sun. She hated it. The heat. The brightness. The sweat pouring down her back. And Liarra didn’t hesitate to speak her mind, complaining the whole time they were outside. She had been through worse, if she wanted to be honest, but her protests got on Kyeran’s nerves and recently it was all she could get out of him.

It took at least half a break of one-sided conversation for Kyeran to finally sigh and say, “Have I ever told you that you talked too much?”

She rolled her eyes. “A million times, at least.”

Kyeran finally gave her the barest twitch of his lips. It wouldn’t be noticeable to those around them, but it was good enough for her. “We’re wasting time like this. We should split up. You go find the blacksmith and I’ll get Rylon’s clothes.”

“I’ll deal with the clothes,” the young woman replied swiftly. Her clothes mostly consisted of leather and they didn’t fit well with the sweltering heat. “I need new clothes anyway.”

After a beat, Kyeran sighed and tossed her the coin pouch. “Try not to waste all of them on a pretty dress.”

She didn’t pay much attention to the road in front of her as she searched for signs of the tailor. Neither did she saw the slave who was clutching a handful of books and hurrying her way through the streets. The two girls inevitably collided with each other. The book fell down with a series of thumps.

Catching herself before she fell, Liarra straightened with a slight stumble. The Naer’s eyes were immediately drawn to the collar around the girl’s pale neck. It was an obvious mark of slavery, if she had ever seen one. With her black hair and clear skin, it was possible to mistake her as one of her people, making the sight of the collar all the more disconcerting.

She had only learned that slavery was a somewhat sensitive subject outside of her motherland somewhat recently. It had been disorienting at first seeing men without either a brand, a collar, or chains wandering around the streets. It was even more perplexing to see the women looked down upon in these other cities. Liarra had caused at least a dozen broken noses during the first seasons of her exile. Even the slightest lewd comment was enough to make her spring. Liarra would have caused a lot more damage had Kyeran didn’t happen to be always nearby.

For him, Liarra had taken care not to talk about slavery. When she did and felt guilty, the Aukarian would tell her over and over again that it could be worse. That he was utterly grateful having met her, despite the circumstances. That he would do it all over again if it meant having the chance to know her. Still, Liarra remembered the golden anger in his eyes back when he was forced to fight for her people’s entertainment, the hard set of his jaw whenever her mother told him to fetch their food.

The thought made her a swallow a lump in her throat as she knelt down to pick up the books. Her eyes widened slightly as she read the titles briefly. Most of them were related to Rynmere nobility. It was odd enough to see a slave be allowed access to books, but perhaps she was a prized slave of some sort. She knew from experience that an owner would let slaves get away with most things if they were favored.

“Interesting reading,” Liarra commented with a smirk as she handed over the books.

Posted: **Thu Aug 18, 2016 4:28 pm**

Faith was more than a little over-excited. She had made sure that she had made as many notes as she could on the noble families of Rynmere, on the seven houses, the seven Patron Saints and all of the other gubbins that came along with it. It led to reading about history and geography and all sorts of other things. She was loving learning, it had to be said and she had also managed to start branching out.

Arithmetic, music, art, sculpture, logic. It was all there, it was all in the library waiting to be found. Faith was, in fact, coming to the conclusion that she had a hundred arcs worth of learning still to do, even just on the nobility of Rynmere. She was making her way home, clutching her books and she was doing what could only be described as scurrying. Master wasn't home, she knew, but she wanted to get home and get started on note taking and reading more.

So, she collided with the woman and her eyes widened in horror. She dropped the books, trying to grab at the woman and make sure that she did not fall to the floor. "Oh, I am sorry! Oh, I am... I am sorry" she said, genuinely horrified at what she had done. "My apologies, my most sincere apologies, I hope you are not hurt?" she asked. The slave girl in question wore a nice yellow dress, long and well made, with a tight black corset. Her long black hair was loose, shining and cascading down her back and her silver-grey eyes were horrified. The decorative slave collar and chain that she wore was an obvious sign of her slavery, as were the brands. An old one on her right shoulder, probably as old as her, with a much newer one on her neck. The brand on her left shoulder, however, was a rose of House Venora and was probably not even a month old.

She picked up her books, apologising the whole time. Looking at the woman that she had nearly knocked over, Faith nodded her head "I .. Thank you, ma'am. My Master requires me to learn about nobility, so I am doing my best... Thank you" she took the last book from the woman in front of her and dropped a curtsy "I am Faith, ma'am and I am so sorry, once again, for not looking where I was going" she said, genuinely.

Posted: **Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:15 am**

“Liarra could not help but study the mannerism of the slave as she muttered apologies. One shouldn’t need to apologize so many times – if at all. Nara would have scolded her and locked her out in the cold night for being even a little bit timid. Her mother had made sure both of her daughters were proud and battle-hardened. Perhaps a little too much.

“And who is your master?” Liarra asked, being rather straightforward. Again, the girl reminded her of her old life back in Augiery. There was little need to be smart or coy with slaves – except for the particularly rebellious ones. As she took a step back, Liarra noticed the blooming rose on the woman’s shoulder. A rose… she was sure that she had seen or at least heard of it. It looked fresh… So, she was recently bought then.

Venora. The word suddenly rang clear in her head. It was the mark of a nobility. She seemed to be always stumbling upon the house these days. First there was the comely knight and now a slave. Perhaps it was Audrae's way of telling her that this particular family might pave her way to vengeance.

“I am Faith, ma’am and I am so sorry, once again, for not looking where I was going.”

The Naer waved the last of the young woman’s apologies away. “Do you happen to know where this is?” She handed over the small piece of paper where the address of the tailor was scrawled on. Now that she thought about it, Rylon’s tailor must cost more than she could afford and decided to add, “Do you also know where I might someone to help me make a dress? And my name is Liarra, by the way.”

Posted: **Wed Aug 24, 2016 8:00 pm**

"Lord Tristan Venora, ma'am" she replied immediately when she asked who her master was. The woman waved away her apologies, however, and she handed Faith instead a piece of parchment with an address on it. Faith looked down at it and nodded "Yes ma'am they are a tailors not far from here. I work for them sometimes, when they are especially busy" she explained, with a smile, handing her back the parchment. "Would you like me to show you the way?" she asked. It was not far and she was inclined (as always) to be helpful. Faith was a helpful individual and her need to serve the freeborn men and women had been drilled into her from birth.

But it seemed that the woman in question then had another idea and Faith frowned slightly. Someone who would help her? That might be something that she could do, but she considered it for a moment and then answered. "You need to have help making a dress? I would be happy to help you if you wish. My skill is not as great as many in the place where I work, but I have improved a lot since working there" which was entirely true. She wouldn't want to over sell her skills here, or to offer help and then be a disappointment. THat would be bad.

"If it would please you" she said, not using the name given to her (she still quite couldn't) nor the title 'ma'am' because it seemed that Liarra did not like it. "I could help. Do you have somewhere where you were planning on working? I am afraid that I could not take you back to my Master's house, that would not be appropriate" she explained, which probably didn't really need explaining in truth. "I would very much be willing to, but do you have the materials and so on or will we need to start there?"

These were things which were important and needed to be cleared up before anything firm could be decided but Faith was, as usual, quite happy to help.

Posted: **Sun Sep 11, 2016 1:15 pm**

The Naer blinked with surprise as Faith mentioned the name of her owner. Another Venora? What are the chances that she met another person who was connected to the noble house in just a few days? Not that it mattered. Liarra had no qualms with these Venora people, but she would need to find a way for her to gain her knowledge about the Endors. She gave another brief glance at the books the slave was holding. If Faith was truly learning about the nobles, she might know a thing or two – not to mention, she seemed less likely to take suspicions on her if she asked too many questions.

Honestly, Liarra couldn’t stand all this snooping around and asking questions. It was necessary, but she was slightly too impatient to deal with all of it. She could stand perched on a dark rooftop an entire night, waiting to attack, but she simply could not sit around and fish for answers from some human. Her sister would have told her to suck it up and do it.

“Yes. That’s certainly better than wandering around aimlessly.” Liarra glanced up at the sky and sighed at the beating sun. The sooner they could get some shade the better.

“You can sew? That’s perfect!” Liarra grinned widely, pleasantly surprised at the turn of events. It would give her the time to poke around on what the slave knew about Rynmere nobility. “Will my inn be alright? Though I have nothing prepared just yet. Picking fabrics and sewing are not really my talent. We can go to the tailor and get the things you might need.”

She gestured at Faith to lead the way, making sure she could walk by the young woman’s side. “I need a particular dress you see. I need to be able to carry my weapons without it being visible, somehow.”

Posted: **Sun Sep 18, 2016 5:27 pm**

The woman glanced again at her books, but then did not seem to pay them any more mind, so Faith thought that she must just be a curious sort who was interested in reading. She looked rather irritated and bored, Faith thought, and seemed unhappy with the heat. That was fair enough, Saun was a hard time for everyone. But when Faith mentioned that she could sew, the young woman perked right up.

"Of course, if you wish" she said, of the inn and it's suitability for a place to work. "You wish to conceal weapons in your dress. Which weapons?" she asked thoughtfully. There were all sorts of options for hiding weapons but a dagger was a sight easier than a sword, for example and Faith smiled to herself as she considered that, if the woman wanted a pike or poleaxe hid, then no dress was going to cut the mustard.

But once she had an idea of what needed to be done, she would ask Liarra more details "What sort of dress? Is it for a particular function? What sort of restrictions does it have on it and what would you like to look like?" Because once she had that detail she could start to build up a design in her head. She did not let on to Liarra, but she actually had some experience of hiding weapons in clothes, sewn in there to conceal them. From the little that Liarra had told her, though, she wasn't sure that was quite what she wanted "And, could you clarify what you want, exactly? To conceal the weapon from casual glance whilst being accessible or from a search and therefore not accessible?" she wondered. These were all important points and the young slave could go no further until she knew.

Once she knew, she would show Liarra the way to the shop where they could get the materials and so on. Depending on what Liarra wanted, Faith would make suggestions in terms of material and so on, but she left colour and such to Liarra. This was her dress and her money, after all.

However, once they got there the shop had closed and there was a small note on the door explaining that they would be open again on the next trial. They agreed that they would meet there again then and Faith made her way back.

Posted: **Fri Mar 17, 2017 3:15 pm**

Review: Rewards

Liarra

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 0/5 (Abandoned Thread)

Knowledge:
Detection: Recognizing the marks of slavery
Detection: Being aware of one's surroundings prevents mishaps
Logistics: Sharing tasks saves time and effort
Psychology: Asking too many questions invites suspicion

Faith: A slave
Faith: Owned by Tristan Venora
Faith: Works for a tailor
Slavery: A sensitive topic in some places

Fame: N/A
Devotion: N/A
Loot: N/A
Magic: These points may not be used for domain magic

Comments: A nice thread with real potential, and an interesting character. I'd like to have read more and discovered how Liarra was able to get the information she wanted from Faith. I was unable to award points for structure for Liarra since the thread was abandoned. Any concerns or if you feel that I've missed anything, drop me a pm.

Thanks!
Faith

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5

Knowledge:
Detection: Attentiveness helps to avoid accidents
Discipline: Deferring to and helping the freeborn above oneself
Logistics: Having the proper materials
Logistics: Using details to plan a project
Psychology: To be humble is a desirable trait among slaves
Psychology: Identifying the preferences of others
Research: Nobe Houses, Families and Factions

Liarra: Wants a dress that can conceal her weapons

Fame: General Good Deed: +1
Devotion: N/A
Loot: N/A
Magic: These points may not be used for domain magic

Comments: Nice thread that ended too soon. Partly due to length and part to the age of the thread, I struggled to find more knowledges. Only three posts, but 5 points for structure for intent and for tying the thread up. Any concerns, you know where to find me.

Thanks!