Current Character Description - Escalore

An unsmiling man, who wears a perpetual look of marked disdain, ValEscalore seems heedless of the immediate world around him.  Long white hair cascades down his back, bound together by means of a black silk tie.  Eyes of brazen bright blue look without interest at all they pass over.  Spotless robes of stark white inscribed with golden runes cover him from head to toe.  Upon a face that has tread the waters of time and remained unscathed, a strong yet elegant jawline portrays a clean cut image from his chin to his angular and slightly upturned nose.  Slow and deliberate in his movements, they seem to be fueled by either a great pride or a great arrogance.

Lost Causes

Late evening cast it's gloom down upon the city of Kefkaburg as Escalore strode through one of the many run down squares within it's walls. The streets were empty save a dark elf slipping through the northern gate and a dirt laden begger who slumbered in the doorjam of a shop that had closed for the day. It seemed to Escalore, that even the Vectorian patrols were lighter than the last time he had passed through. Leaning down he picked one of the two gold pieces from the hat which lay beside the begger and held it up to the dying light of day thoughtfully. Gold, the drug in which it seemed every cursed being on the forsaken planet was a victim too. The priests and their fallen pantheon, those who claimed to be the rightous. They all needed it just as much as the begger who lay at his feet, there was no difference between them all. Escalore himself detested the fact that he needed it to charter the passage for his mission. Perhaps it would be far simpler to commandeer a vessel with which to ply the eastern seas with. No. Those actions would draw far too much attention, and there would be enough of that in the days to come.

'Travel across the Sea of Swords. Within it's waters lies the key to  salvation. Bring it home.' These were the simple words that had kindled  the flame that lit the path before him. What would happen when he got out there was left in the hands of the Son. So long as it brought closer  the inevitable and cut short any unnecessary prolonging he didn't care  how far he needed to travel.

Escalore tossed the gold coin idly back into the begger's hat, inadvertently waking the man who turned his tear streaked face up towards him. 'Shh, it will all be over soon. ' Escalore crooned as he stood, looking down at the man. 'Yeh speak o'the occupation?' the begger croaked as he looked up with weary eyes. Escalore's lip curled up in a half sneer half smile, putting the man in visible discomfort. 'I cannot attest to that. After all, it's inconsequential who claims to hold control over this lost cause of a city. ' The man's mouth open and closed not unlike a fish out of water as he attempted to formulate what was certain to be a question to which answers would bear no level of understanding. Escalore simply  stood as he set his mind to the task before him. 'Ah coin fer the trouble?' the begger had finally found his voice. Escalore made no attempt to hide his disgust as he left the man behind him, his words lingering as smooth as silk. 'I'll not feed your addiction unbeliever.'

On The Road Again... (Part I-II)

"Full honesty is a fool's trait...and what a fool I've been. I should not been so open with her..."

Throm walked swiftly down the open corridor of his home, shaking his head. A sudden flutter of wind caused his cloak to billow out, caught in the wind's grasp. He stoppedhard at the sound of a voice speaking out quietly. "I don't believe I've yet to see you this worked up..."

Turning just his head, Throm couldn't see the speaker though knew at once, whose person the voice belonged to. Throm called out over his shoulder still not moving from where he stood. "I had not not expected a welcome home party..."

Slipping down from upon the ledge he had been sitting upon, Lithanus appeared from behind a support column, leaning a tattooed arm upon it. "Troubles with the lady friend father?"

Scowling, Throm finally turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. At first he considered telling Lithanus nothing of recent events save the taking back of the stolen cells up north. Then sighing he gave a small shrug. "Lady friend no more I'm afraid. We've parted ways...I'm afraid I decided to impart some of the truth upon her, maybe too much I'm afraid."

Lithanus' spiked hair of stark white color ruffled as he shook his head. "The truth will serve no purpose outside of our own kind father, we have been raised this way...we know this."

Looking upon the young man with eyes that revealed just a hint of sadness, this time it was Throm who shook his head."No Lithanus, YOU have been raised this way...and for that I am sorry. I am too far removed from our people to believe this now. And speaking of our people, I suppose they will wish for my retrieval to the Valley soon?"

A ghost of a smile played upon the younger man's face displaying subtly that he had not missed the obvious change of topic within their conversation. "The Council has determined that for the moment your...removal would raise questions. Questions that aren't worth answering. I think that if the cells were returned, then you might...for the moment have little to worry about as far as that is concerned."

Reaching into his cloak, Throm pulled out a large canister and tossed it to Lithanus who caught it and held it up to the light, examining it carefully with an expression akin to awe.

"So much trouble for a few drops of the Old Foe. It is rare that I have a chance to see any of the legacy artifacts this close."

Lithanus suddenly cast his glance downwards from the canister, looking at Throm with an annoyed expression. "And what is it you're still doing here? Why aren't you following her up north yet?"

Throm unfolded his arms from across his chest, a look of annoyance casting itself over his own features. The sudden conversation had caught him off guard, however he remembered now the company Sanria had travelled north with. He remembered the person responsible for such company. "Let's talk about our friend and the armor you paired him with."

A look of mock surprise lit Lithanus' face as he spoke in in equal tones of exaggeration. "You're not seriously considering letting her go up there alone with him on the loose are you?"

Now Throm had to stem the feelings of annoyance as they were very swiftly becoming that of full fledged anger. "Thanks to you I may well have to. However she's not alone, Thasmudyan is currently joined with your loose cannon."

Lithanus smirked slightly and shrugged though he took a step back at sight of the look in his father's eyes. "So that's two people you are leaving to the Armor of Escalore...I guess you are more trusting than I am."

His face growing as cold and featureless as stone, Throm glared at his son as he let what seemed like ages of silence pass between the two. Finally, he pointed his finger directly at his white haired antagonizer, breaking the silence. "I'll not be played a fool Lithanus. I'll deal with you when I get back."

Carefully concealing the fact that some part of him was glad to have a reason to go north after her, Throm dissolved into nothingness, his spell casting him back to Torregiano. Lithanus' words fell upon deaf ears. "You'll thank me later old man..." He chuckled to himself, brushing back a wild strand of his hair. "...and might even admit that I know what the hell I'm doing."

"Throm... wh... what are you doing here?"

The fact that he had startled Sanria coupled with the red which shown upon her face, made Throm nearly regret coming. He had upset her further, something he certainly had not wished to do. Suddenly his mind kicked into notions which he usually left unthought. -Who cares. I too am upset- Pushing such thoughts aside, he gave an emotionless nod. "Going north..."

Sanria looked to the ground shaking her head. As if a knife had been taken to his insides, Throm felt a dull hollow sting in his chest. Steeling his resolve, he replied without missing a beat. "Someone has to bring Remus in..."

The rest of his words were cut short as an airship flew low over the Port on it's way to dock. Again his cold response was met with an equally cold demeanor. "I'll bring him back here and you can take him."

Shaking his head solidly, he couldn't help but wonder why it was she was so eager for him not to be around. "No dice..."

The two danced around the subject for long minutes, each firing back reasons why the other should or shouldn't be present for the duration of the journey. The argument continued inside of Sanria's airship, neither side seeming to get through to the other.

Eventually it was brought to light that Sanria indeed as able to feel the very emotions of Thasmudyan as she had recently been healed with his life essence. The thought of the two of them in the same place while she could feel such things apparently wasn't very comfortable for her. Again thoughts rampaged through Throm's head.

-I can't blame her. I wouldn't take comfort in such a situation. In fact, I probably wouldn't have even let me on board the ship.-

He had to admire her honesty, and her determination at that. Yet the two found themselves once again plunged into arguments. Finally it seemed they had both tired of going back and forth. The conversation took tones of less aggressive nature. Once again Throm felt himself compelled to honesty as Sanria asked the inevitable question that he knew must come.

"Let me guess... you love me enough to let me walk right out of your life?" She smiled slighty, and Throm suddenly realized just how difficult a question it was to answer. -It used to be an easy answer...when did it become not-

"If you deemed it best for yourself yes...I would put you above my own wants." Judging by the expression on Sanria's face, Throm realized that this was not the answer she had been expecting.

"You realize that it leaves me thinking you want for nothing... including me?" She stood, walking nearer to him. Was she angry? He couldn't tell. He shook his head as she continued. "I'd love to think, for a moment, that you would trust me enough to show me your own feelings - not those you use to deflect what is beneath."

For a moment, frustration set upon Throm and he wanted to simply spell out what it was he meant, be it for better or worse. Calming himself, he found his words once again. "You are wrong in this sense Sanria. I want many things...including you. However I can't place my wants above those or yours...such would be the essence of selfishness."

Again, he realized that perhaps this was not the answer Sanria had been looking for as she crossed her arms across her chest. Looking at him she spoke quietly. "Then I am selfish?"

Again Throm shook his head. "No...it's just me being me. I think you coined it the protector in me."

The Sanria finally guided the ship out of Port Torregiano, setting to a hover just above the city beacon. She turned in her seat to face Throm. "You don't believe that simply gathering force here to take him down is a better plan?"

Shrugging, he realized he was tired of the charade, perhaps the vision of him wearing himself on his sleeve would never be realistic, but it occured to him that perhaps he hadn't been completely in the right in regards to thinking honesty was foolish at all times.

"I'm not leaving you. Not because I don't think you can take care of yourself, but because I'll be worried to no end while you are away." Shrugging, he strapped the in flight harness about his torso. "And that....is why I am here."

Ice Cold Carnage

My first night aboard this ship was unnerving. What with steps of little feet roaming about the room in preparations for the next day's departure, sleep was far from coming. The enchantments of Escalore would keep me awake for days on end, this I knew...this night I would exercise such a right. Perhaps I might have been a little less unnerving to the gnomes party to the night preparation crew, had I not spent the whole night sitting upon the edge of the bed with my helm on. However being in a new environment I wasn't yet ready to give up the only set of eyes I had just yet.

The dawn had come much faster than I had calculated, and it wasn't long before my hostess carefully entered the room first checking to make sure that clothes were not in short supply upon myself. Chuckling privately at the irony of the statement, I had bid my day to begin. I knew not much of my benefactor Sanria except for the fact that she was heading into territories which had caused her trouble in the past. Quiet and contemplative, she didn't seem to keep much in the way of conversation, leading me to believe that she was more inclined to a thoughtful nature. After naught but a short while, we finally gained the last member of our crew a man by the name of Thasmudyan. A man of frail build, and reserved nature, I found Thasmudyan to be an enigma, though later I would find him a force to be reckoned with. Recounting our voyage to the barren, frigid, and icy wastelands of the north, I remember only the speed at which the vessel owned by Sanria traveled. A journey that might take a conventional ship from days to weeks, took less than a day. Despite the sudden changes that recently have occurred within my life, I still could not help but to marvel at the short duration of our flight. My companions were quiet for most of the journey, but as we approached the territories of Mahn'Tor, we began scouting the ground far below for signs of our target. Finally the shape of a slightly battered, ship appeared as a speck within a field of white. And so it was that we set down a short distance from the derelict vessel in hopes that perhaps the journey upon which we'd found ourselves thrown into had come to a quick resolution. Such a fate was not destined for us however. After a short landing upon Throm's ship we were able to determine that the vessel was devoid of life thanks to the odd abilities which Thasmudyan had began to reveal. Though these findings put the Lady Sanria to worry, I found them to be comforting indeed. Though I have had my differences with our quarry, I had my own private fears that we may well be stumbling into a tomb and would find nothing save a corpse. I am frustrated a bit to say that we did not get far into our travels before we were ambushed by a pack of local minotaur hunters who thought to have stumbled upon a unwitting group of would be slaves. Though we were outnumbered, the hunting party was a group of unorganized ragdolls in comparison to our party. As the red eye haze of battle took hold of me, I found myself wishing nothing more than to use the group of dull witted beasts as examples by cutting down each and every one. A word or two from Thasmudyan disagreed with my notions at this. I normally may have paid no heed to such disagreements and cut apart our attackers, but for a life threatening injury dealt to Sanria in the course of battle.

Gaining that our target may be near an old reactor tower from one of the minotaurs, who was more than eager to crack in exchange for his life our battle was over. Once a safe haven had been established in our former battlegrounds Thasmudyan at once tended to the wound of Sanria, displaying once again his curious abilities. I was relieved to have him as part of the team (a word foreign to myself now for quite some time) as I was little use in the way of tending to wounds in either magical or conventional means. The magic weakened both of them considerably, and though we had made little in the way of foot travel, it was decided to set camp for the night. Electing to stand guard outside the airship, I once again would use Escalore's magic to maintain my vigilance throughout the night.

Little did I know at the time that it was to be this night that those which my comrades might consider enemies would call upon me in peace.