Nathan and Parthipan emerge behind the keep -- there's a wide lane of a practice yard on the west side of the pass. The one on the east side is being taken over by the storm-riders that have just moved in, who are now setting up tents, campfires, and generally unloading their wagons.
Alec stays a few steps behind Nathan. He looks around at the tents and fires of the other defenders of the keep, not saying anything.
Upon reaching the practice ground, Rez finds a convenient wall, and places his sword gently on the ground, before leaning back on his chosen slouchpost.
Exhaling quietly, he looks over to the stormrider to follow him. "Do you have a family, Alec?"
Alec blinks. "No," he says. After a pause, he starts, and says, "Well, I've a brother. And my mother is still well. But I've no wife of my own, yet."
Rez chuckles and nods, then picks up his sword and starts walking over to the archery range.
"How old is your brother?"
"He'll be twelve, next month," Alec says slowly, thoughtfully. "Just about ready to start training to follow in our father's footsteps."
"A worthy goal. If he does half so well as you are, he'll be a force to reckon with for sure," Rez smiles, then looks at his arm - and not worrying to summon the gauntlet, pulls his bow off his back and starts checking it thoroughly for wear or damage.
"If you want to go check on them, I'll be here until my sword calms down . . . which will probably be the better part of an hour," Nathan rolls his eyes, then turns back to Alec with a grin, "Or you can stay here and help me teach some practice targets to fear the wrath of the stormriders!"
Alec shakes his head. "I've no skill with a bow," he says apologetically. "I'll find my brother." With that, he offers a short bow, and wanders off to where the storm-riders are setting up camp.
Ginrai watches him leave silently.
Rez checks to make sure his arm won't be visible, and if not, resummons the gauntlet and quickly looses two arrows in quick succession at a target.
<Chibi-Suu> them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 2#3d6 for skeet shooting! --> [ 3d6=9 ] {9}, [ 3d6=11 ] {11}
Nailed.
Rez nods, then looks over at Ginrai and sighs.
"You know, I'm really not cut out for this. So, what's been happening here while we were out?"
Waiting for a response, he starts attempting to . . . split the pair of arrows he just shot in half. A silly trick, but it'd sure look cool!
Rez braces, sets, and looses at the first arrow . . .
<Chibi-Suu> them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for SHARPSHOOTING --> [ 3d6=6 ]{6}
Thwack. One arrow nailed.
<Chibi-Suu> them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for SECOND SHOT! --> [ 3d6=12 ]{12}
And the second arrow splits in half as neatly as the first one.
There is a slight pause.
"You know, I think I am getting the hang of this."
Moving rapidly, Nathan starts snapping off arrows almost at random places on the target - trying to put them in precise places, as quickly and rapidly as he can. Since he's got the accuracy, if he can just get the speed . . .
Ginrai watches Nathan, intrigued at how he's able to recall his ability.
"Are we also able to bring items here or just abilities?"
"I don't know, I've hardly tried. I can bring the warbag, but it vanishes when I let go of the gauntlet."
Rez looses a couple more arrows then turns, puts his bow down, and starts rummaging through a belt pouch - eventually pulling out a collection of roots, proffering them to Ginrai.
"Hey, do you know any of the lorekeepers who'd be able to identify some plants for me? I've got these things, and I'm wondering what they are . . ."
"I have some knowledge on Herbology. I might be able to identify what you have." Ginrai takes a look at the plants Rez was holding.
The herbs vaguely remind Parthipan of something, but it's difficult to place. After a moment, it's determined that the herbs are used to dull pain -- they're a mild narcotic, or a pain-reliever. Some of them are more potent when boiled, but all can be chewed to dull pain.
Handing them back to Rez, Ginrai says, "These can be used to relieve pain if chewed on. They're more potent if boiled. Where did you find these?"
Rez slings his bow over his shoulder and picks up his sword again.
"I had them with me when I woke up here, just never thought to ask before . . . and sorry to be antisocial, but I think I need to work out some stress by smashing some things. If there's nothing else?"
Not waiting for a reply, Rez starts walking towards the practice yard - with the aim to use his sword to break some posts or something, if there's anything that doesn't look too important . . .
He'll retrieve the arrows later.
Your search is interupted by the arrival of Lords Rogers and Phil, both of whom are headed towards the current Storm-keeper encampment.
"Ah, okay. Have fun." Waving his hand, Ginrai heads off to see if Radagast is available and if they can find out more of his past now that Eske is here.
Rez doesn't call out to them, and continues practicing with his sword. With unfortunately small amounts of breaking things. If they want him, well, with the sword glowing like that, they can't miss him.
Dracos paused for a moment. "A second, Lord Rogers."
Dracos turned to Rez. "Nathan. A moment, quickly."
Dracos
Lord Rogers nods, and steps aside, out of earshot.
Ginrai now moves to Inner Universe (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=36327#36327).
Rez lowers his sword and turns to look at Drac - his expression is, as it was before, rather flat.
"Hm?"
Dracos heads over close, speaking quietly. "Bjorn is arranging an important trap. I was going to help but I'm going to be stuck being king. Get a half dozen trusted men and head to Lord Kevin's chambers. And do it quietly. Okay?"
Dracos
Rez nods. "Swordsmen, archers, what?"
"Swordsman. Closed range fighters. It'll be guarding something."
Dracos
"Right," Rez looks distant for a moment as he thinks, "I'll take Alec, Eric, and I'll ask Edward Carst - one of the caribou - to come, with two swordsmen he thinks trustworthy. Sound fair?"
"Fair enough. Good luck." Dracos turned, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Rogers. Let's see what can be done."
Dracos
Nathan nods as Drac departs, then sheaths his sword and goes to retrieve his arrows. Well, the ones that are still usable.
After that, he goes looking for the three stormriders he mentioned before - Edward first, since he's going to need to find two others.
Alec trots up to you again -- like a loyal puppy, almost. He's carrying a shiny new axe, and looks pretty happy about it. He leads you to Edward, who seems surprised to see you.
"Is there something I can help you with?" he asks, rising from where he was crouched, next to a fire before a small tent.
Rez grins at Alec as he walks up, then nods to Edward.
"Yes, actually," Rez lowers his voice, "the stormriders have been asked to spare a few men for Lord Kevin. I was hoping you'd join me."
Edward blinks very slowly. "Me?" he asks, very uncertainly.
"If you're willing, I'd like to have you and a swordsman you deem trustworthy join me - I'd also appreciate it if you kept this matter quiet until afterwards. I'm not sure exactly what's happening myself, but . . ." Rez shrugs.
He nods, and says, "Wait here." He dashes off between some tents and vanishes for a minute, while Alex experimentally hefts his axe, before nodding in approval, and slinging it onto his back, crosswise over his original axe (which is the blade that bears his heritage).
Edward comes back very swiftly, followed by another swordsman you've not yet met. It's probably a brother or a cousin; the two men look very similar.
Rez grins to Alex - "You look like a kid who just got a new toy!" - then nods respectfully to the returning Caribou swordsmen.
"May I ask your name?" he asks the one-he-does-not-know.
"I'm Arthur Carst," the newly arrived swordsman says, bowing. "Edward said you needed volunteers for a mission?"
Rez nods. "Glad to see you volunteering. We'll go and get briefed on the mission in a few minutes, we just need to pick up a couple more people . . ."
He blinks then mumbles.
"And I need to see if I can find another scabbard, actually. In any case, shall we go?"
Assuming no objections, Rez leads the party off to find Sir Eric Kethel.
Both of the Caribou clansmen look at your lack of a scabbard oddly, and blink, but you're quickly led off to where Erik is. He's further down the practice range, testing his bow for accuracy.
You think he's probably a better shot than you.
Rez walks down the practice range towards where Erik is, and calls out to get his attention. "Ho, Erik!"
Erik looks up from his bow, blinking as though he didn't expect to see you -- or the men you're hauling with you. "Sir Nathan?" he asks, raising an eyebrow and standing at attention. "Is something the matter?"
Rez nods to Eric. "Nothing's the matter - Lord Kevin needs a few good men for something, and I was hoping you'd join me."
Erik nods at this, glancing again at Arthur and Edward. "I would be honored," he says.
At about this point, Durant arrives, looking a bit surly, a bit sleepy, but otherwise okay. "Yo," he says conversationally. "Parthipan sent me this way. Said I should help you out."
Rez blinks, surprised to see Paul here.
"Heya. And he did? Anything specific?"
"Just that I could ... uh ... borrow some stuff from ... Huitzil," he says slowly. "And that I should help you out. Somehow," he says, shrugging.
The Storm-riders eye him appraisingly, apparently at least willing to give him a chance before deciding he can't hold his own in combat.
Rez raises an eyebrow, then nods, turning back to the other stormriders.
"Sorry, but do you mind if I speak to this man alone for a moment?"
Assuming they are not highly disagreeable about this, Rez and Huitz walk about twenty-thirty metres that-a-way - somewhere where they can talk without people next to them, anyway.
So, making sure nobody's -quite- close enough, Rez speaks quietly.
"I was just talking to him myself, actually . . . and if you could, I could use a little information on the . . . 'old Rez'. Past exploits, rivalries, family, et cetera. I'd try to find out myself, but . . ." Rez shrugs helplessly, "You could ask easier. If you could, I'm also curious to what you could glean as an outsider about general stormrider morale, and where Phil and I stand in their general regard," He blinks, then smiles wanly, "Lord Philip Bloom is the king of the stormriders, again, by the way, just so's you know. I'd talk more, but we have to go and do . . . something, the gods alone know what. Sorry to drop all that on you. Did you need me for anything, and do you mind if I come and find you later to catch up on what I missed at the keep the last few days?"
Durant looks a bit skeptical. "Sorry, man. That's just too much work on top of 'Find and destroy every traitor within the keep'. I'll keep an ear out, but no promises."
Rez sighs and nods. "I'll get Liandral to do it then. Thanks anyway, and I don't need anything else done. I'll catch up to you after I'm done with whatever Drac needs."
So saying, he turns around walks back towards the group he'd just assembled, looking tired.
"Sorry about that. I need to see if I can find another scabbard, and then we'll head on over."
"That's fine," Alec says, shrugging, adjusting to the weight of his new axe. "I think there's a forge just behind the keep."
Rez nods, "Alright then."
As the group starts walking towards the forge, Nathan turns to Alec and asks the obvious question: "So, do you mind if I ask the significance of the new axe?"
"Oh, this? Found it on the battlefield, after the shining wall went down. Thought it'd make a nice keepsake ... maybe something to return in style, hmm? Don't like it as much as my own, but...." He shrugs, grinning at you.
Nathan now goes to Drink With Me (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=36399#36399).