OOC: tags to
@Imperfect_M -----------------
Ketra, city of the damned-
Or at least it felt that way for Dehzrehn Draven, a Connlaothian of noble birth forced south due to the many conflicts of the war. He knew it was because he was an embarrassment and that the rumors (which were mostly true), reflected badly on his father and it was much easier to sweep his son's stories under the rug by forcing him to travel south 'for business'.
Never mind he was still healing, the sword wound itchy across his chest. Or the fact he should be heading back out onto the battle field....
But there was too many skeptics and superstitions...
'He was using magic!'
'I saw it! Or else I'd be dead!'The irony that he'd never truly used his powers in battle to save his own hide but relinquished that secret the moment one of his companions in arms was about to be crushed by a falling parapet... He was a fool. But should he have left the man to simply be crushed? Perhaps. He had a mere second to react and according to his father and the captain who lead the men Dez had served...
It was the wrong one.
Now they had to wave off the accusations with ones of their own- that it was
impossible for this non mage man to have
possibly used magics.
But now here he was, stepping off a boat and heading into land.
Towards
Ketra. It was a lively trade city, one of the largest in the south (except, the Essyrnis would argue that their city was vastly superior and larger still.) Dehzrehn wouldn't know. He had never been so far south. In fact, he couldn't have known that during this trip, he would still never visit Ketra.
He was actually surprised to see so many Essyrnians on his trip from the north, from Cerenis to his final port at Ramsheed. He took in the sights of the bustle of people before him. It was nothing like home, like the Connlaothian ports, with their pale skinned men hefting cargoes on heavy mules and animals. Here, the people were more... colorful, the place fanning open like some sort of exotic tree. And it wasn't as if he had never been here before...
Except he had not. At least not during any rational part of his life. He was about two years old when his family had traveled here. His older brothers even barely recalled their time down there-
Except his eldest, Zahn. Zahn had been to Ketra and just about every Adelan port many times.
He frowned at the remembrance of his brother...
He didn't even give him a well wish goodbye. If anything, he felt as if he shouldn't turn his back on him as he was carted off towards an Allarrian port city where he'd board the
Tiffany's Waves- an enormous and slightly famous trade ship that was constantly running the coast. It was one of his father's and had recently dropped of it's goods for trade. And although the boat was not scheduled to set sale for another two weeks...
Money talked, and it only took two days before Tiffany's Waves was back at sea.
The first few days he was a little green behind the gills, not having been on a ship in a few years made him lose that hardiness his father tried to press. But when you send your sons off to war instead of continuing the family trade...
Well, he supposed his father was happy enough (even though he was embarrassed by him) that at least now one of his sons was at least beginning to conduct the trades on his own. Dehzrehn was no fool, but he was no real tradesmen. He knew the bare bones that his family had taught him, sure, but that was the trade tactics of a Connlaothian, and he himself had never been the forefront, let alone of foreign aspirations. He supposed his father was desperate enough that it didn't matter. He just hoped the Adelans, with their well known fiery personality, would not be so hot tempered with trade.
Despite the war, the ship carried many goods and furs, ones the Adelans found as exotic and would pay a premium for, especially considering most men who had a trade were recruited for war, and less and less Connlothians were making the treks down south.
So in one regards, he already knew it would be very profitable. Even his father said he couldn't mess this up. Plus, there was always the need for more supplies to fuel the war.
Southward he continued to go, with mostly good sailing. It was almost too convenient. Usually there's at least a storm or two, or some rain. There was only one time they had to deal with some bad fog for a rain they had missed. But he was told, (and felt it too) that fog could be far more treacherous than a roaring sea.
Transcience was a port city in Serendipity they'd land on for just the night, taking into land a few scheduled trades. Although the night before they made dock (which would have been quite early in the morning), the young man was having a hard time sleeping and found himself on the deck of the ship taking a stroll. Clouds were rolling in overhead, and a cool breeze swept sweetly across the entire ship and cooled off Dehzrehn's brow. It was a warm night, perhaps unusually so, so he enjoyed the wind.
He was leaning against the port side, simply watching the waves in hops to lull his restless mind when something unusual caught his attention in the moonlight. Was that a woman swimming out in the sea?
But another shipmate drew his attention away and when he turned back around to see if she was still there...
He saw nothing but waves. He must have been tired. So he retreated to his bunk.
Next morning business conducted as usual. They went into port, the shipmaster was at his side to help him in the exchange and they would be on their way. Heading back to ship, something, or rather
someone caught his eyes. Down on the shore there was a woman coming out of the water. He thought back to the woman he saw in the sea. No, it couldn't have been her. He had been seeing things. But he couldn't take his eyes off of her, until one of his men stumbled into him a jostled him out of his moment of distraction. Cargo had spilled snd he was quick to help pick up the supplies and recrate them, all the time stealing glances to look for some woman who was no longer there.
But duty called him elsewhere and soon the young Lord Draven and his crew were docking in Cerenis.
This time the stay was much longer, a couple of weeks and then they'd be on their way south again. Cerenis was a lot more enjoyable than the smaller sea side town of Transcience, and the first few days he was rather uneasy around so many who openly used magic...
That by the end of his stay, he was feeling much more at ease, as a stranger here but...
Also simply as a person. The people of Cerenis seemed a lot more welcome than those in Connlaoth. The war made it twice as bad, perhaps even worse than that, so it was nice to stay in taverns and visit the locals and get to laugh.
But even as he enjoyed himself here, he felt a sense of guilt. Here he was, actually enjoying his journey when back at home...
War tore the place apart.
It was just as he was thinking about his home that someone across the way caught his attention.
No.. it couldn't have been.
Was it that strange woman from Transcience? That town had been so unusually small for a port that... The odds were stacked against such a thing. But he couldn't forget such a beauty, something drawing him towards her eyes-which he noted, seemed to almost glow.
But as it was before, he was pulled along to other ventures and continued his journey south. He stopped at a few more port cities before finally making his way towards his last port- of Ramsheed and then the journey landward towards Ketra- capital of the Adelan Nation.
And peculiar as it may seem....
Each Serenian and then Adelan town he passed.... He swore he saw the same dark haired, golden eyed young woman. Was it a sign? He couldn't have known. He wasn't superstitious...
Although... he supposed he could be.
The Adelan port city of Ramsheed was so grand, but far less glamorous as the famous northern city Cerenis, whose colorful natives made Dehzrehn feel much at home. Here, everyone appeared gruff and had their nose first into their business- the bustle hard work against the bright sunny sky. The buildings were much more different, a lot more squat and made of stone, and the people with far darker a complexion than those from the north.
He found himself studying them along his journey, packing up wagon's full of goods and preparing both him and his men for the journey inland. And just as it had been earlier, the travels were smooth.
That was, just until the day before he was due to arrive in Ketra.
It was late at night, the fire low and only a few men left on watch. Their party wasn't grand, but it was a substantial size of men- most of which were there to simply protect the cargo, an investment worth much. But this path was said the roughest the further south it dipped, most of the men kept their eyes open and on their backs until the trail began northward and they felt themselves more at ease. They were now in the heart of the Draconi forests, which held new dangers on its own.
Perhaps that was their first mistake. The second being they hadn't realized they weren't north enough to have shaken some hostility that had fallen them from the southern trail. It seemed these deeper woods, with taller, thicker ancient trees would be safe from bandits or surprise attacks, even from animals. But that was for those who hadn't known how to take advantage of the native lands.
The attack came from the bushes, Dehzrehn had been in a dead sleep, having just turned in from his own night watch so he could be rested enough for the journey that morn. But an arrow to the leg was not the most comfortable thing to be feeling, and was not the wake up call he expected as he cried out in surprise and pain.
"We're under attack!!"
Chaos. With the fire nearly snuffed out and the moon over head drenched in a rolling thunder of clouds, there was no way to know specifically how many men had ambushed them or how many had already fallen. Dez scrambled to his pack, ignoring the pain jolting up his leg from the arrow before pulling out his sword and trying to assess just what was going on. His eyes were adjusting to the dark and he caught a glimpse of feathers and body paint...
Were these men from the southern tribes? Woah, he was taught they never traveled so far north!
Did it matter? They were seeking them dead! Dez barely dodged another arrow, unwittingly batting it away with his sword before he parried an on coming attack from a rather sharp spear, who was taken out moments later by one of the Connloathian men. Dez nodded his brief thanks before turning back into the fight. It was only then he noted they were being surrounded, men calling on horse back and racing around in circles.
He caught the sight of their bows and moved to grab his own from his pack. He didn't have time to think. His mind flashing back to his brief time in the war. To those times long ago when he and his brothers could laugh and take turns competing to see who was the best in archery....
Zahn and Dez would always be in the lead- and for the past few years...
A tie.
Zahn, Dez would tell himself, let him.
But then within minutes Dehzrehn had downed three men and was knocking another arrow to ready to down a fourth when from no where another spearmen returned and before he knew it, the spear was cutting across his chest.
The pain felt like a burst, clawing open clothe and skin alike. Dehzrehn dropped, taken off guard as he dropped his arrow and cupped his gushing wound. A dark figure moved overhead, like a shadow and Dez jerked his bow up with barely enough time to guard the attack that could have ended him.
That's when the woman appeared, moving in a blur of dancing, deadly steps, hands turning to what looked like long claws that ripped mercilessly at his attacker before she tore out it's throat. He wasn't even sure how it happened, scrambling to his feet and gripping onto his wound. And when he was about to call out his thanks- the woman turned and continued her rage, tearing into the attackers and his own men alike! And it wasn't until she was halfway though with them did he realize she was also using her mouth to kill, razor sharp teeth tearing into all the men's flesh without abandon, and screeching in a blood curdling war cry as she used brute strength to tear another man's arm clean off and clubbed another upside the head with it.
What..what the hell was happening? Within minutes almost all the men on either side were dead... and with a roaring snarl, the woman tire out the throat of another, using her wicked teeth and standing there, holding the man up by his throat as he gurgled to death on his blood, while cooling blood stained and dibbbled down from her mouth to chin, as she now turned her sights towards Dehzrehn and purred through drools of blood.
"You.. will be...
mine. " The voice rasped and the woman began to charge, leaving the young Lord with little choice but to run deeper into the woods. The woman hissed, her chilling voice carrying, even through the dense wood.
"I saw your
soul," it cooed,a purr laced with promise. "I will make you
mine. "He didn't stop running, he wouldn't. Even as his legs and lungs burned. If the creature
wanted him,it couldn't have been for any reasons better than what she did to his men and
their enemies. And he didn't want to die.
But then the grounds changed suddenly, turning into a sudden marshy bog that sent Dehzrehn to the ground. Panicked, he tried to scrambled to his feet, only to feel the sudden weight of the woman upon him ,pinning him down with he golden eyes glowing with a lustful madness.
He was soaked and nearly sticking to the bog, the womans legs pinning him down strongly as she purred over his form.
"Northern magic.." she purred, leaning down to lap a tongue down his neck. He involuntarily shivered from toes to his shoulders, grimacing when he realized his body shouldn't react so.. so..
drawn to her actions as fear and now a heat began to fight and clamor within his head.
"Northern blood...." Her hands slipped down, wicked claws tracing down where she slowly began to expose his flesh. She lifted her head to his ear, wicked, jagged and blood stained teeth nibbling against him near sensually.
"Northern
life, " She added in a final purr, swiping a claw that ripped his shirt clean open before her fangs buried themselves into his neck, his eyes glazing over at the sensation as he began to feel something pull and suck from his body, too dazed himself to realize he was
enjoying the sensations of this creature sucking out the purity of his
life. And both of their bodies began to glow like ghosts, and the Draconi forests shudder under the dark magics of this beast drinking away the life blood and magics of the man's very
soul."You will be mine," the creature promised. And it began- he becoming
hers.