Meetup: Roughriders roll-call
=============> 12) MEETUP: Roughriders roll-call <==============
Open/Closed: OPEN: This event is open to any player who wants to sign up
using +event/signup. There may be limited space, so signing
up does NOT guarantee you a spot in the event.
Poster: Duncan
Start Time: 08:30:00 PM (LOCAL), Wednesday, July 30, 2014 (15m 25s)
Location: Rune: Dran Front
Level Range: any
This is a gathering of Alexandrians who have non-equine mounts, animal companions large enough to serve as mounts, or routinely use some other means of riding a non-horse for travel or scouting or combat.
Signed up: Ssylrath (Cav10)* <list hidden> Confirmed: none
Config parameters ------------------------------
not yet implemented
======================================================( Connected* )
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* Roleplay Nexus: Dran Front *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
East of the city of Rune lays the lands of the Dran. Numerous battles have been fought along this border, with the city of Rune and it's magic standing firm against the aggression of the conquering hordes of the Dran nation, long a sore point to the aggressive barbarian peoples.
A lengthy line of defensive towers marks the lands bordering the two nations, standing ever vigilant as a line of watchful sentries. Whispers tell that the towers are themselves animate and capable of joining the fight when the time comes.
To the east, the fertile and lush lands of Rune give way to the rugged and flat terrain of the Dranei tablelands. Numerous villages dot the landscape, though most of them stand abandoned or occupied at this point depending on which side of the border they fall on.
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Duncan 'Tall' Khazad youth with a Digger. 0s 27s Ssylrath Green lizardman, short and wide, with a Swiftclaw. 5m 11m
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= Exits -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Rune <W> -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
Smythly has arrived.
Svarshan has arrived.
It's a warm evening. Warm, despite the war or perhaps because of it. Or perhaps, you know--it's summer. The sentry towers are well-fortified, filled with watchful mercenaries and Runite forces. Behind the walls are practice grounds, where a number of knights and warriors are congregating, discussing upcoming roles.
ANd sorties! That's what Smythly is doing. He's observing the mounted sorts. Clearly, he's got something on his mind. But he's here. On the war front. And a goblin...paladin. Of Reos.
Rune is a strange place.
Duncan rides away from the knights, a troubled look on his face. Ride is actually a bit of an overstatement - he's actually seated atop his Digger, which trudges off almost aimlessly. A few horses shy away as he passes by too close, while the more well-trained warhorses eye Digger and Khazad sternly until they are clear of the congregation.
Zalara has arrived.
Zalara dropped Zalara's Hoverbike.
Svarshan stands to the side. Not entirely, but enough. "I think. ...Vthria will have. A market," he says to Ssylrath. He lifts his jaw in greeting when Duncan rides by. He doesn't know the man well, but he recognizes him. Svarshan's swift stands with him, decked in plating and eyeing the other mounts, as though comparing them for prettiness. PRINCESS.
Ssylrath sits astride his own swiftclaw, Thaliss, who is eyeing Vthria sidelong periodically. The rider nods at Svarshan's words, scaly brow crinkled in thought. "That ssseems wise." He lifts a hand to wave to Duncan and Smythly both. "Peace on your Nesssts."
The sound of a arcane engine cuts through the air as Zalara comes riding up on her hoverbike. She's heard about this gathered of those mounted adventurer's and she being a riding enthusiast herself has come to check it out. She's wearing her futuristic black helmet as she guides the hoverbike though the ground and over towards where the others are. She lifts her hand in greeting as she pulls the hoverbike to a stop and it just hover there in the air off the ground.
Duncan is now off to one side of the gathering, along with Svarshan and Ssylrath. None of them quite fit in with the traditional cavalry, consisting of knights on their horses and the occasional human or half-Sil scout, also astride horses. He raises his own hand in a wave before letting it drop. "Good to see you." Duncan eyes the Swiftclaws, then looks down at his own Digger. "You here to help Rune against the Dran?"
Srassha tosses her head from time to time. Just enough to say she's there, to show a little--oh. That ray of sunlight? Does it glitter? Does it show off my scales? Yes? Turn. Preen. Glitter.
Shine.
Her rider reaches up, to scritch that heavy jaw. "I am. Here for my cihuaa, and to ssupport the. Sunblades," he says after a moment. The words are slow, thoughtful, and he then gives a wary lift of his jaw to Zalara and the, the...Hoverbike. That epitome of artifice...!
Ssylrath looks out toward the Dran lines. "I have ssspent some time scouting these fields. Dran warriors that can catch Thaliss are not generally able to ssstand up to the lance and her clawsss. Those that cannot..." He shrugs as if to say they are irrelevant. "Of courssse the true fight is against Heth, this is merely a dissstraction, one best soon ended."
Zalara takes off the helmet and she shakes out her long dark red hair and she runs her fingers though it. She readjusts her goggles and she gives a smile, "Hello am I too late for the meeting?" She asks as she adjusts her deathray and her backpack as she looks around to see what is going on.
Duncan's eyebrows draw together at the mention of Heth. "True enough...but to be honest I don't know if we're ready for Heth yet." His frown deepens. "Or if we'll ever be." Then he glances at Zalara. "Too late? You're not too late, no...but you riding something that doesn't have enough hooves." He gestures at the nearest horses.
"Wow," says Smyhtly at the arrival of the engine. "Now that's a ride! I haven't seen anything like that since my Uncle Frascao's Intermittenly Efficient Mana Engine!"
Smyhtly sounds excited.
"The Myrrissh would say...divission. Of forces," Svarshan says, in lower tones. He looks towards the line, his shoulders tense, his tail still...and, breath. Another breath, before turning back. "Dragon'ss blessing and no. We are jusst talking," he says, and then pauses, pauses.
Words.
"My cihuaa assked me to. Disscover if sswifts would be useful. In the effort againsst Heth." To Ssylrath, "Ssshe would be. Interessted in your. Words."
Ssylrath looks surprised. "Ussseful? Thaliss wounded the green dragon that attacked the hatchery and carried me bravely in that fight, but that beast wasss prevented from flying away." He looks upwards. "She would need sssome method of flying to deal with a dragon on wing, perhapsss that spell I have heard of that allows treating the air like the ground?"
Zalara hmms, "Why do I have to rid something with hooves? This moves just as well a horse and it doesn't eat or make a mess." She replies as she gets down and the hoverbike bobs a little bit, but still hovers. She leans against it. "I didn't hear anything that said that it had to be a horse." She points at the digger, "That's not a horse." She crosses her arms and frowns.
"You fought a /dragon/?" says Smyhtly to Ssylrath, excited. "I've been thinking of training myself to ride. I haven't quite decided what I'd like to ride, though. Perhaps a bear. I hear bears are good mounts for us goblins," he adds, solemnly.
Duncan chuckles at Zalara. "No it's not." He leans forward and pats the Digger heavily on the back of its neck. "I'm just saying the gathering is more for folks who ride horses. They can ride in formation together and have lines of battle and so forth." He turns his gaze back to Ssylrath. "Not that a charge would do much good against a bunch of undead dragons, now would it?"
Svarshan fights a grin, and then looks towards the front. "Sshe is looking for needed marketss. I think sshe would like to. Hold a demonsstration. ...she is talking. With one of the arvek about. Organizing a. Show in Alessandria," he says. "The sswifts. Perhaps alsso the. Rockbeasts," he says, with a gesture to Duncan's creature. He shifts atop Srassha, to the sound and creak of leather, then grins at Zalara. He leans down and says more quietly, "My mount. Hasss no hoof." He pauses after that and then regards the artifice-bike. His shoulders twitch, and he takes an even breath.
Ssylrath's mount Thaliss stands on one leg and scratches the back of her neck with the other real claw. She is definately showing off for the other swiftclaw now. The Sith rider considers. "I do not sssee why a charge would not do as much against an undead dragon asss anything else. Dragonsss are... tough. This one took much killing." He looks down at Smythly. "I know a bear who carried me bravely for sssome months, he is named Muddy. I relased him but I could find him again if you wisssh." Back at Svarshan. "A ssshow. I suspect the Wardens of the Invisible Path would be interested, recruiting isss... difficult in these lands."
Zalara nods, "I've heard that goblins use bears for mounts. I have yet to see one though. I would love to meet one." She says with a smile, "Ah well I don't do that. I'm more of a stand in the back and shoot stuff or use my contraptions to help. I am very well armored though." She pats her hoverbike, "And mobile too." Zalara hmms softly, "I haven't fought a dragon yet."
Duncan hmphs. "'Yet'. I like your attitude!" he announces suddenly to Zalara. He takes another look at the horses and then back at the other mounts. "Mainly because they could just fly over. And that's only if the horses could stand to get near one of those monsters," he adds after a bit. "Some of these guys, though...things might just be different."
"The. Arvek are...organissed. They have a. Resspectable tradition," Svarshan says after a time, after reflecting on the words. He looks away from the front, and the smile's settled in place. A quiet, slow thing before looking towards the sky. He's quiet after that, reflective.
"...truly?" says Smyhtly, shocked, to Ssylrath's offer. "That would be lovely!" He sounds excited, very, by the possibility. "I should very much like the chance to ride a bear, liked the esteemed hero Lady Cinnamon!" H e nods, firmly, glancing towards Svarshan, "Perhaps one of you could teach me how to ride it."
Ssylrath nods once firmly to Smythly. "I will sssee if you are worthy of Muddy, and if he chooses to ssserve you I will teach."
Zalara smiles at Duncan, "Thanks. I can fly I have wings that I made myself. I haven't figured out how to increase the flight capacity or speed on this yet, but I'll figure it out without exploding." She hmms, "I think I've heard of Lady Cinnamon before, her bear's name was Primerose right?" She asks curiously. "I wonder if I could make an artifice bear."
Svarshan shifts once, and looks from one to the other. He starts to say a thing...closes his muzzle. Starts again and...looks keenly at the gobber. "Neither I nor my cihuaa sspeak your language. If you could transsslate..." he looks over to the others, and back, "It would. Give you reassson to be. Near many of the. Traditions and sstudy them. I would be. Interessted. Myself." He then looks to Zalara, and after a moment, nods in the affirmative. The gesture's hesitant, as though he has to remember to do so. "Ssshe was. And very. ..." he searches for words.
Duncan eyes Smythly now. "A bear, huh?" He reaches up a hand to scratch under his beard and then presses his palm flat to smooth it down again, almost unconciously. "That'd be something to see," he admits.
"Yes!" Smyhtly beams at Svarshan and Ssylrath. "This sounds like an excellent idea. I could ride a bear, and hit things with my hammer. I am going to do a damn fine job of defeating evil, if I do say so myself!" He sounds excited by the prospect, but then he sobers right up. "Ahem. I mean... I am honored that you would extend this priviledge to me."
Zalara nods, 'I thought so, hopefully I'll be able to meet her one day." She smiles at Smythly, "Good luck with that bashing. Like I said I like to use my deathray to shoot others."
Svarshan eyes the gobber. You know. That look that wonders if the person he's speaking with is entirely stable.
Well. Gobber!
He tales a quiet, steadying breath, and then nods once, abruptly.
"Travel beneath. The Dragon's wings," Svarshan says after a quiet moment. He then taps Srassha across the flanks with his tail, and the two head off, back towards Rune.
Eventually the gathering of riders breaks up into their individual units and goes their separate ways. Leaving the Alexandrians more or less alone in the area.
Duncan inclines his head in a tiny bow, then turns his Digger and sends it plodding off back towards the contested lands near the border. "Well I'll be seeing you all around, no doubt."