Current Character Description - Xarkuss

Clad in dark garments, this individual hardly seems sociable. His robes conceal the whole of his body, yet his stature suggests a muscular, slightly larger than average, build. Wearing the hood that constantly conceals his head and face, there is not much more to be learned from his appearance.

Silent Persistence

It had been a while now since the return to West Bridge. Many things had changed, but the objective remained the same.

Though he had much to attend to, and could not personally maintain the observation of the young woman, the task of keeping an eye on her was being carried out, nevertheless. And though they had apparently "disappeared" once or twice, fortunately picking-up their trail again soon after had not proven very difficult; especially given the "distinctiveness" of her companion.

Even so, Xarkuss would, on a constant basis, do his own bit of observation and reconnaissance. And on more than a few occasions was set to take-off behind the couple on their journey; though for one reason or another it would be put-off every time, and by the looks of things, was not likely to take place anytime soon.

There were too many entities involved now, and even more affected. Too many different parties, with too many different agendas...

Xarkuss knew that only sensible thing to do now, was to sit back, watch,  and just wait and see. "I wonder who'll be making the next move..."

To Westbridge

Day after day, the circumstances, as well as the company, surrounding the young girl in white, got more and more peculiar. First were the halfling and the behemoth of a man (apparently not too fond of one another) accompanying her at the temple of the Morning Lord. Then the Sunite woman of which Xarkuss knew not a name, who met her at the Alliance Arms Inn. Soon thereafter was the seemingly awkward reunion between the girl, the two from the temple (who looked like they were oddly getting along, now), and finally the Guardian, Hellstrom, who, ironically enough, seemed to have led them to the girl. A point at which, even though non-audible at the distance Xarkuss was careful to keep, literally every member of the currently assembled congregation looked to share the same confusion.

Things had not been very eventful after the odd meeting, though an encounter with constituents of the Black Church seemed like it could have taken an unpleasant turn. The abnormally large man was with her, but there was no telling how many of them would come to the aid of the two already there, in the event of trouble. Concealing his presence was important, but of course the priority was to keep the girl safe... at almost any cost. Fortunately, it never came to that.

And now, things had taken a different turn. Now... he was following them back to Westbridge.

In Her Sleep

Port Llast was behind him, and the young girl in white robes, in front. Tailing the girl was easy enough, thus far; for apart from his family 'gift', it had been one of the skills he was trained for in his youth. It was a kind of family heritage, only enhanced by the blood-line ability that seemed dominant within the family.

Soon enough, however, things had begun to take a more complicated turn, as they usually did. Keeping his distance as always, he spotted something from within the trees. "This is not good..." the figure thought to himself. And sure enough, a moment later a large orc had sprung out towards the girl, grabbing for her cloak, while another shouted instructions to get her bag. Xarkuss was faced with a difficult choice. To come out of hiding and protect her from the beasts, would be to reveal himself, and risk earning her distrust. On the other hand, the beasts might harm her, and that was unacceptable.

At first he hesitated, having faith in the fact that she is, after all, a Guardian. But the instant the orc advanced upon her, grabbing for the young girl's throat, it was decided it was just not worth the risk, Dagger in one hand, and the other just about to guide a spell to the back of the beast's head.

Just then a magnificent ray of light suddenly collided with the hulking creature's face, rendering him into a frenzy of agony, and making it collapse to the ground. It was done with impressive force, as was the second one that followed just moments after. Xarkuss couldn't help but smile from under his cloak, as he reassumed his hidden position, and quickly proceeded to follow the girl again; regretting he could not stay behind and make sure that no other orcs followed, as he might lose her.

Going further up the steeping path, the girl was sprinting, clearly trying to put a good distance between her and the two orcs. The farther she went, the colder it got; and having lost her heavy cloak to the beasts, it seemed unlikely that she would be able to continue her journey.

He would wait until she was asleep...

The girl was soon out of breath and sat on a nearby rock, breathing heavily into the frosty air. Just then a figure approached her, and seemingly startled her, as he initiated conversation. Again, the hidden figure was ready to act if something didn't look right, but the stranger seemed harmless enough; or at least, of no ill intent. Just to be safe, though, Xarkuss decided to use his gift, for additional concealment. Just in case. His form immediately began to fade, taking a much less tangible, more misty/shadow-like presence.

It was not long after, that a larger band of orcs appeared to be making their way towards the girl, and her new companion, stranger; seemingly bent on avenging their fallen friends. However, this time there was apparently no need to worry, for the stranger had also noticed the creatures' approach, and the manner and stance in which he held his weapon, suggested he was quite capable of handling the situation. Yet, Xarkuss still advanced a bit closer to the scene, to be able to act in case anything was amiss.

The girl had also aided in fending-off a few of the beasts, but in doing so, she had also exerted the last of her physical stamina, and quickly collapsed beside a near-by tree. The man was still busy in battle with the creatures, but did not look to be in need of any aid. It was time.

Xarkuss discretely approached the unconscious Emalia, and reached within his cloak, depositing something within the girl's robe-pocket. Then (seemingly retrieved out of thin air) deposited some more items into the girl's pack.

The girl awakened some time after, in the presence of the stranger who had protected her from the orcs; the same stranger who had also seemingly saved Xarkuss the need to reveal his presence. It was fortunate, to say the least.

Hide n Seek

It had been a long time, but some skills are just never forgotten. He had been tailing her for hours, now; and judging by the supplies being gathered, the 'outing' did not seem like it would be ending anytime soon. Out the northern gate, and onto the northward path, it did not seem like she was intending on keeping their appointment, that night. But then, considering the circumstances, it seemed unlikely that should would, anyway.

As if merely to confirm the speculation, however, the young girl in white managed to hitch a ride on an old worn-down cart, seemingly headed in the same direction. This would be a long walk, but the girl was just too important to lose track of.

It was not till the next day that they had apparently arrived at her destination, and a meeting with someone at the Alliance Arms Inn was a welcome chance for Xarkuss to take a breather, and wait for the next move. It was not too long before she reemerged; notably  without her companion, which made it all the easier.

The Question was... what now?

See the light

The bell tolled the midnight hour as Emalia slipped from her room in the Spire of Morning Temple. She looked up and down the hall, hoping that outside the very, very, very early risers, Colin would not see her or follow her. She was hoping to be able to slip out beneath the stars and into Ardeep to have but a moment alone, but as she slid down the stairs, she caught sight of a familiar figure.

The man stood there, much as he did earlier, looking as though he was ready to do more damage. Emalia hesitated, unsure of whether she should turn around, when the man noticed her. Too late to run. Emalia descended the rest of the stairs - oddly struck by just how many people were still awake within the temple. She approached the figure, her hands clasped in front of her, as the man shouted out his desire to find "faithful." "I heard you earlier," Emalia began, hoping to determine what this man might be doing here, moreover, hoping to determine whether or not she had even heard his earlier display correctly, "how can you hope to persuade by being so violent?" "Who are you.""I believe I might be one of which you spoke earlier, but I wouldn't dare act the way you did to prove it." Emalia watched the figure with a calm reserve that would have, perhaps, made her father proud.

They spoke a bit, all the while Emalia continued to look over her shoulder. That she should be worried so deeply on whether Colin would come down the stairs actually irritated her. He wasn't her keeper, he shouldn't be so concerned. Her attention went to the now revealed face of the man calling himself Xarkuss. Eyes like a snake, though they gave her no fear. If one could look upon Grobnak and be kind, a bescarred man would be an easy task. It wasn't until she perceived his hands moving to where he might have weapons, that she backed away.

Emalia had barely mentioned Nephesh, and the fact that the boy was also a faithful, when Colin's voice came floating down the stairs, "Emalia... what are you doing?"

Colin's wary gaze set Emalia off inside. He was not her keeper! "I'm speaking with a person I've recently met."

As they all stood there, Colin wrapped in a warped sense of cuckoldry, Xarkuss being subjected to this show of brute jealousy, Emalia's eyes grew darker. Xarkuss soon excused himself, and when Colin finally decided it was time to eat, Emalia left him standing with a view of her door in his face.

Emalia had not time to read the note she had slipped into her robe from Xarkuss' hand, before a gentle knock cut across the silence of her room. "Who is it and what do you want." She said, knowing full well all aspects and answers to her question.

"You're upset with me, aren't you?" Colin asked when he had been given permission to enter. It was a foolish question and it sent Emalia reeling.

"Colin, I think you should leave. I don't mean this room, I mean this temple."

It took little time for Colin to admit just how jealous he was. And not much longer after that for him to plead his case for staying. Before she could truly go into her reasons for irritation, yet another knock came into the room. The small halfling boy, Nephesh, walked in and immediately, Colin knelt down, offering apologies to him.

It was irritating, yet Emalia couldn't help but admire the desire for this man to win back her good graces. Both Nephesh and Colin reconciled some of their differences, when both Colin and Emalia heard the voice. Emalia knew nothing else but that she had to go to the mountains. Where, why, she didn't know. But they had to go. They had to go - now.

Nephesh could barely slow her for the ritual of greeting the newly risen day, and Colin could barely have it sensical for her to gather provisions.

The sun rose, and Emalia's thanks were given to Lathander. Without knowing where Tamilyn had disappeared to, knowing that they would need to leave very soon, it was decided to leave a note for Tamilyn within the temple. The note... Emalia went to her room, making certain to use packing as an excuse, and pulled the note from her robe that she had been given earlier. "Midnight..." Emalia read.

It couldn't be done. The voice of The Apprentice himself had urged her to the mountains, they had to leave today. She glanced at the note again, the parchment suddenly blank and devoid of any form of ink. Something here was not what it should be.

Introductions

The voice of the crowds had slowly begun to rise, chattering and gossiping amongst each other. Amused at the reaction of the locals, the dark figure replaced his hood, concealing his features again; as he slowly turned, to seemingly leave the assembled crowds, with their new-found topic-of-gossip for the day.

A voice came from within the, now scattering and departing, crowds; "Why do you spread word of your faith with violence?". Xarkuss turned his head to see the young, slender girl who had made her way through the crowds towards him. Pausing for a few moments to examine the girl; from under his hood he slowly asked back, with the slight hiss in his voice "Who are you...".

Slightly taken aback, "I..."

"And what is it to you, how I deal with one who chose to attack me..."

Slightly hesitant, the girl replies "I am one of whom you seek..."

"You are one of His faithful, then?"

"I am"

After another moment's pause, the figure nodded slightly; "I sympathize with the man, who mistook me for one of whom brought harm to his sister, upon his claim... that is why I spared his life, and merely rendered him unconscious...even though, it did not seem that he would extend me the same courtesy".

The girl nodded her understanding. "It is cruel how others would judge you because of your beliefs"

"It is crueler, still, how they would judge you , upon your appearance..."

The girl attempted as much as possible to look for a distinctive feature, upon the dark figure, and clearly couldn't find it; however the puzzlement on her face was clear. "It is not my figure I speak of"

The girl was clearly curious, but also quite hesitant, and obviously trying not to sound rude. "Can you... uhh..."

With a slightly more threatening voice, the man replied "I don't know you. And how am I supposed to know whether you really are one of His faithful...?".

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"I promise I'm not like others..."

"If you are who you claim you are, then I know you are not like others"

The man hesitated, then decided there was no harm in it; he raised his hands and slowly removed the hood, revealing his scarred face, and snake-like eyes. Surprisingly, the girl approached the man even more, and began to examine him more closely. Xarkuss discretely showed his unease, and distrust, moving his hands closer to where his daggers lay, from within the robes that concealed them.

"Were you born this way?"

"I was... chosen"

Hesitantly again she continued "Were you one of those carrying Hemelia"

"No, I'm afraid I was not blessed as such"

After stepping back she continued, "Why do you seek the followers of the Apprentice?"

"I think I have answered enough questions today; especially to one of which I do not even know a name..."

She nodded, and replied that she also did not know of his.

"You may call me Xarkuss, then", and to this she introduced herself as 'Emalia Haverland' and that she was on a journey to discover herself, and her purpose in life. He commented on how they seemed to have a shared interest, but that he also sought guidance, as he was 'instructed'. She had mentioned someone called Nephesh, but before the conversation could go any further, the girl abruptly stopped upon noticing the approaching figure of a large man.

Previously, Xarkuss had ignored the fact that she would occasionally look around in apprehension; but replacing the hood, concealing his form yet again, before the man's approach, Emalia also seemingly took notice and quickly cleared her throat, trailing away from the conversation, and instead proceeded to introduce the large man as Colin, her 'friend' and 'sort-of-bodyguard'. At which point he introduced himself instead as her 'travel companion'. It was apparent that the man's arrival caused her unease, concerning the subject of her faith.

"Is he one of us?"

"No"

That was all he needed to know. From that point on in the conversation, the man called Colin was trying to get Emalia to leave, or 'go eat' as he put it. Emalia invited Xarkuss to join them. He considered his options, then agreed to join them, hoping to get another chance to speak privately with the girl; as well as meeting this 'Nephesh'. It quickly became clear, however, that he would not be present. It was clear, at that point, that it would have to wait for another time. Xarkuss excused himself, and extended his hand, for Emalia to take, then shook that of the man called Colin, who either hoped to be intimidating, or just got a feeling of self-accomplishment from squeezing people's hands.

Xarkuss turned and walked-away, as Emalia discretely hid the piece of parchment, apparently left in her hand just moments earlier. It read:

Meet me at the entrance to the temple at midnight. We may then speak more freely, and perhaps discover why 'He' saw fit to bring this meeting to pass, today.

My Own Worst Enemy

“Not again." Colin thought to himself.  Here he stood in a stairwell of the temple.  Alone. Emalia had just stormed off, obviously angry with him for how he had acted when he found her talking to a very shady looking character by the name of Xarkuss.

"Just what exactly am I doing here anyway?" Colin asked himself; but he knew the answer. When they were alone together, things were so much better. The time in her cabin on the sailing vessel which brought them here. The other night in Emalia's chamber in the temple. Ah, that night. It had remained in the forefront of his mind ever since. They had been so close, and how Colin had wanted to take that step. To just lean down and draw her lips to his. To take her fully into his arms and become one. Yet he couldn't. What if she rejected him? He did not want to jeopardize the closeness that had just begin to grow between them.

Yet here he was, standing by himself in the cold stone stairwell. It was just when they were around these "believers" that seemed to be popping out of nowhere. He just didn't trust them. The way that they sucked Emalia in. She was too vulnerable, they could hurt her too easily. And then the fact that each of them seemed to be trying to turn her away from him, looking upon him like an intruding outsider. His behavior was only pushing Emalia away but he just couldn't help himself. Apparently thoughts of distrust and jealousy still had a place within him. "Damn Sandorin, who qualified you to decide..." Colin's thoughts immediately ricocheted off in another direction, "I'm going to have to talk to her, and I'm going to have to change this. Otherwise  I'm going to lose her."

Colin took a deep breath, straightened himself, and moved on.

Seeking-out the Faithful

Making his way through the crowds, and towards the center of the temple's courtyard, the cloaked figure stopped at his mark. Slowly turning around and taking notice of his surroundings from under his hood, a grin formed upon his face...

"Sheep... SHEEP! All nothing, but cattle!" "Livestock...! Eating, drinking and sleeping, as you are meant to... As you are made to!". As the people began to gather, taking notice of the scene, his hands began to slowly emit a dark-greyish mist, from within the robes that concealed them. Now, with a slightly more audible growl "Such are the ignorant, the unworthy creatures you are...! Unworthy of His GLORIOUS coming..."; as he began to pull-back the hood, he continued "... unworthy of His glorious rebirth", revealing his long raven-back hair, scarred & marked face, and, at the gasps of many, his greenish-yellow snake-like eyes.

The crowds hissed and booed and some had begun to depart, when a massive figure suddenly thrust from between the crowds, bellowing with rage "Wretched creature! Your kind took my sister's life with your lies and deceit!".

Unsheathing a 2-handed longsword, and charging with all his might, the man produced a magnificently vengeful slash fully intended to cleave the dark figure in two, before being rendered off-balance, as the dark figure swiftly dodged the attack. And before anyone could react, a dagger had been pressed upon the tender flesh of the large man's throat, supported by the dark figure who had taken position behind the now helpless attacker, down on one knee. He leaned to the man's ear and hissed "I know not of whom you speak... but if you aim to test your faith in Lathander's rebirth, right here within his temple... I would be more than happy to oblige..."

Moving his unoccupied hand to the side of the man's head, the figure murmured something under his breath, more visible weaves of mist escaped his hands, and he quickly left the sizable form of the man lying unconscious in the middle of the temple grounds. As he rose, he spoke again, "I do not come to preach you, heathen, for 'He' chooses those worthy of his worship". "Rather, I come to seek the faithful... the true! The followers of the one true power!". "I seek the chosen... of the Apprentice".