Road to the White Tower- Elven Mysteries (Fort Bragh)

[redcoat]

Migration from the Enjin Platform

[opius]

Taliesin:
:: Taliesin stepped to the side as he and his companions entered The Soldier's Respite. He immediately stepped back to stay out of the way and examine those in the open room. He carefully took note of any within the room that appeared Elven. He took note of a few Deori and Naithrani across the tables ((Noted in game)).

Once his companions stepped beyond him he took steps to his left in order to target himself to the nearest Deori. He had tried addressing an entire bar once before and it went less than well. Perhaps a smaller approach would be more advised. His steps were swift straight to that table.

He dropped his hood and reached down to a chair. The out-stretched fingers on his right hand tapped the back as he attempted considerate eye contact. "Mind if I join you?" ::

Ancelas:
There were two individuals sitting at this table, both of whom were elves. One was male, with short black hair shaved low on the sides of his head, bringing emphasis to his ears, and the other was female, her deep brown hair likewise cur short in a bang-less bob. Their conversation had paused as she took a drink, and the man glanced up at Taliesin, one eyebrow arched. He had a goatee, rarer among elves in Northern Illyria, and bright brown eyes - Deori indeed.

"Good day to you, cousin," he said in Elvish, draping one arm across the back of the seat beside him. He did not pull it out just yet. "How can I help you?"

The woman lowered her drink to the table and cocked her head to the side, curious. Her eyes shown green and her face showed very faint laugh lines. They both appeared to be middle-aged, perhaps around seventy or so.

Taliesin:
:: Taliesin looked between the two of them. He took in their general appearance versus what he was expecting. He didn't really think about interrupting an intimate conversation.

"Good day to you as well, brother and sister." He responded, focused on how that wording connected more with a unified family opposed to far flung tribes. "I was hoping to ask a few questions since I've been far from home for too long. Might I have a few moments, or am I imposing?" ::

Ancelas:
The male's lips tightened into a smile that had grown more forced and he kept his arm on the chair back. His eyes flicked across Taliesin's body briefly. "I suppose that depends on what it is you wish to ask. You don't look very much like a merchant, so I'm guessing this does not have anything to do with business."

The female's eyes narrowed slightly and she set her drink down before leaning back in her chair, lightly running the back of her fingers against the underside of her chin as she studied Taliesin more openly than her companion.

Taliesin:
:: Taliesin didn't recognize the forced nature of the smile, but did hear the request for clarification. He focused on the male as he was the one to respond. "The first thing I wish to ask, do you have any word from Illyria? Specifically any news regarding Sor Alaryn or any Allurani you may have passed on your way here?" ((Charisma check - rolled 19+3=22))

The tone he spoke with was genuine and of need. He waited for any response that could be given to him. Each portion of the moment he waited his expression slid. This was well over a long shot. For all he knew these were disaffected Deori who had long since left their homes. With previous luck he had with other elves the longer he had to wait the worse the answer became. ::

Ancelas:
The male's eyes widened a moment and then narrowed. He gave Taliesin another look over. "Who are you?" He demanded in a quiet voice, thrumming with suppressed anger. "Who are you to approach us, to assume friendship when it has not been offered, to ask after the shame that led so many of our cousins to death and dishonor? Begone, beggar - there is no place for you-"

"Wait, Thelis," the female said. She leaned forward as her companion abruptly silenced herself and looked at her. She leaned forward, her green eyes sharp and intelligent, but not hostile. "You are a long way from home, cousin, asking about things no elf with half a sense of courtesy or respect will ask about. Are you mad, or simply ignorant?"

She actually sounded... Amused. Or at the very least, not as angry as her companion.

Taliesin:
:: Taliesin watched the shift in demeanor of the Deori in front of him. He made no move to be hostile, instead only slowly reaching into his pocket to retrieve the icon. He took the leaf of Sor Alaryn and placed it on the table. "I am Taliesin Korvalis, and I've not been home since I was taken from the Capitol tree."

His attention turned to the female in the group for a moment, paying clear attention to her words. "Silvanus has set me on a path home to rally all against Hectapol's return. I ask for nothing more than information as I have plenty of coin."

He left the icon in place for a short time before pulling it back up into his hand and stowing it again. "We are all children of Silvanus - though we may worship others of the Adonai we are all one." He bowed his head and readied to step back. "Since my first question is too much of a burden - one last question. When leaving Illyria or any point in your travels that brought you here ... have you been offered coin with streaks of black and red with an eye on one side?" ::

Ancelas:
Thelis stared, his hostility edging into confusion. The female raised her eyebrows. "Oh," she said. "I think I get it now. You're one of the temple zealots, aren't you? The ones who travel and inquire if we've heard the good word about Silvanus, our lord and savior."

She leaned back in her chair once more. "Why else would you approach strangers, presume kinship, and start talking about genocide and dark times. Does your local chapter require a donation of some kind?"

Her voice was growing angry. Thelis glanced at her and reached out to take her hand in his. She glanced at him and seemed to deflate. "I don't like people using our tragedy to assume kinship, just because we happen to be elves. It's disrespectful."

Thelis grunted and eyed Taliesin. "I... Apologize, but I don't believe we can help you. We don't know what you speak of, and have never seen the coins you speak of."

Taliesin:
:: Taliesin was taken aback first at the description and second at the discussion of genocide. He shook his head not recalling saying a single word of genocide. Perhaps the genocide was even in referencing his own people. His head shifted to the left and down, leaving him looking at the two just to the side for an almost sidewards glance. "No ... I have no temple and I am not a zealot. I also do not expect to sway you from your chosen deity."

His hands lifted from the empty chair at the table, but made no fast movements. "Nor did I speak of genocide." His tone stayed subdued. "I merely asked for any news on the home I was taken from. I had heard that there were some that yet lived and hoped to find them."

His right hand went to his belt and the pouch that hung there. He tugged the drawstring and withdrew 2 Gold and placed them on the table. "The coin I described ... it was carried by strange creatures that sacced Donal's Crossing. I wanted to be sure that none had made it further inland." With a quick sinch and tie the pouch was shut. "If you do see those coins then I would avoid them."

He took another step back and bowed his head. "I apologize that I have upset you both with my questions. I had hoped that perhaps travelling Deori would be more likely to come upon my people when taking the pass. Please take those coins as recompense."

With his head bowed further he took more steps back. "You owe me nothing, but if you do stumble across my displaced tribe - if you could please let them know Taliesin Korvalis is alive and seeking family." He turned from the couple and took several long paces to an empty table and sat down.

His eyes lifted and looked around for Sae. Ah, of course, swindling some poor grifters at darts. It wouldn't be a night at the bar without her taking advantage of some vagabond at a game of chance or skill. His eyes dropped down to the table as he attempted to formulate an approach. No matter the angle it ended the same. Elven kin seeing him as looking for pity or for money. Or perhaps seeing him as a simple fool. He rested his elbows on the tabletop and closed his left hand around the closed fist of his right hand. His vision lifted up from the table and looked past the game of darts as his face rested against his hands, knuckles pressing against his lips. ::

Taliesin:
(( Already dropped gold from 195 to 193 --- Requested Insight check - rolled 18 +2 = 20 ))

Ancelas:
As Taliesin sat and pondered the difficulties he had thus far experienced when asking other elves about the Alurani, he began to notice that their behavior all seemed similar, despite how different they were. Discomfort. Avoidance. Sometimes hostility. The female had accused him of talking about genocide, of being disrespectful. In Astor, he had been told that it was not a subject that elves were uncomfortable discussing. Why?

The Mareki had carried out the genocide, on the orders of the Naithrani, no matter how much the Naithrani tried to distance themselves from the act. But that had come at the end of the unification. After they had secured the allegiance of the Marini and the Deori... who hadn't fought for the Alurani. The Marini liked to distance themselves from the acts of their landbound cousins, but the Deori... they were craftsmen, farmers, and traders. What did they know of combat and war? They had objected, but they hadn't fought for the Alurani, hadn't challenged the Naithrani.

In a way, they had been party to the genocide of the Alurani - just like the Marini. In allowing it to happen, they shared a portion of their people's shame over a terrible massacre. Even those who hadn't been there must surely feel shame toward their own tribe, their own people, their own nation.

And he had thrown that in their faces every time he asked about his people.

They didn't know him. They didn't know who he was, where he came from, why he was so desperate to know about his past and his people. Yet he had thrown their deepest, darkest shame in to their faces and then asked them to help him. How would he react if someone did that to him? Or Sae? What if someone came up to her, reminded how terrible a Mareki she was and how much of a disappointment she was to her family, and then asked her to help them? How did it make them look where they tried to humbly tell Sae that she was taking things too hard, that they were doing nothing wrong by making her relive those tragedies and difficulties?

Maybe it was time he rethought his approach...

Taliesin:
:: Taliesin upon connecting the dots sighed heavily in a deeper frustration. He couldn't get any information he wanted because those who might know had instant guilt and anger associated with what he was and what he was asking for. His eyes went back to the table he had just left. He was stewing for now but his frustrations were clearly close to boiling over. He hadn't the time to become friends with all elves he passed. And as such he had no avenue to get information he wanted nor had he the time needed to get close enough to gain trust and pass messages.

He turned his attention back to Sae as he tried to calm his temper. ::

The Red Coat:
+Sae, feeling particularly cheerful after her successful dart game, gave the two soldiers the ales that she had ordered and headed to the table where Tali was... sulking? She approached slowly, tilting her head to the side as she did. Was he mad about the rooming situation? Or had something gone wrong since they'd come to the tavern?

Pulling up a seat next to him, she rested her head on his shoulder, getting comfortable next to him, partly in hopes to cheer him up.

"Everything alright, Tali?"+

Taliesin:
:: Taliesin watched Sae as she came over. He held things together as she sat down. But alas, she had to ask that question.

"No, no it is not alright!" His head lifted away from his hands, giving view of his shaking hands and white knuckles. "The second another elf knows I am Allurani they assume I am saying things and get guilt ridden and just want me gone." He paused to take a few deep breaths and lay his hands flat on the table.

"I can't get word of my home. I can't have civil conversations without being accused of bringing up genocide." His voice raised up to near a shout. "If anyone survives it isn't a completed genocide! Some still exist, but clearly others would rather we not so they can hide their guilt away in a little package and forget that the Allurani ever existed! People that should be allies are near to worthless for any word because they shut down before anything can begin!" He had escalated to a full shout as he stood fast knocking the chair he was in backwards.

"I survived the massacre as did others. I just want to hear any word from allies. I just need a connection to my home! How am I to aide Silvanus in his charge to unite the tribes when they turn their backs and hide behind their shame." His left hand had swung out and arced in the directions of the Deori he had spoken with, but didn't leave them their to point. "Do I just lie and pretend to be Mareki to gain allies? IS THAT WHAT I NEED TO DO?! HIDE WHAT I AM FOREVER?!"

Though he was speaking with Sae his face didn't fully face her to save her the brunt of the screaming and prevent from seeming to scream at her. ::

Ancelas:
As Taliesin finished, both he and Sae would notice a change in the air. The jovial noise of the crowded inn had faded as several patrons were now openly staring at them - many of them soldiers, some of whom had risen from their chairs and were watching the two elves with sharp eyes unclouded by alcohol.

The two elves Taliesin had been pointing at were also staring at him, and after a moment the woman's expression twisted into anger and she rose, turned, and stalked out of the inn, her companion following after her, calling out to her in a hushed tone as he did.

The Red Coat:
+Sae was no stranger to a fight. She had come to blows more times in her life than she could ever count, and it was fair to say that at least a half dozen of those occasions had been at bars. There was an art to the bar fight- unwritten rules.

One of those rules not being to fight in the bar filled with the town guard, or what was serving as it.

Feeling the red heat of embarrassment as Tali was once again yelling, this time in a crowded bar, she didn't fail to note the angry young Deori woman storming out of the bar. Well. It was her turn to grip the back of the chair with white knuckles, her icy eyes looking over Tali.

"This is not the time or place to have this discussion, if you don't want to ruin everyone's chances of sleeping with a roof over their head." She said in a low voice, aware of the tight rope she was walking. If they devolved into another shouting match- or worse, into blows again- they'd be evicted from the bar at best. At worst, Jaeger would be bailing them out of the brig.

"Now, let's go outside, head in the opposite direction of that Deori girl, and we will talk about what the hell happened in the time it took me to play a game of darts."+

Taliesin:
::Taliesin took deep breaths and followed her request to head out the door. "That Deori girl was a Deori couple! He accused me of being a beggar when all I asked for was any word on my home!" As they exited the bar he stopped unsure of which way the Deori went in order to go in the opposite direction. "And they accused me of bringing up genocide and dark times!"

He spun in spot, not actually looking for the Deori. "How can I get word of home from other elves if they have knee jerk reactions to a simple question? How am I to get any word to any possible remnants of my family if all elves that wouild sit with Allurani are stricken with guilt to find that they are talking with one?!"

He clenched his fists and finally turned to look after where the Deori went. ::

The Red Coat:
+Sae, having succeeded in dragging him out of the bar, pulled him off to a side alley. Frankly, she didn't care what specific direction the woman had gone in, as long as they were not directly following the couple and were a bit away from a hive of guards trying to keep the peace in a town bursting at the seams.

"I wasn't there, Tali. I can't tell you why they were offended and angry with your questions." She said, leaning against the wall of the alley and frowning. This was not how she was hoping the evening would go- honestly, she'd hoped for drinks, maybe even some dancing. "Generally, when someone says 'All I did', it usually comes to how they did it, not what they did."

Damn she could use a drink. It was a pity the wait at the bar was so long, and she'd given her drinks away to sooth any harsh feelings from the game.

"Not all elves have tried to get rid of you upon finding out you're Allurani. Aelar and his wife, in Astor, were very sympathetic to your plight. He just didn't have much to offer beyond a discount and his best wishes. And unless I have suddenly grown horns and turned into a tiefling, I am still an elf. Maybe not a good one..." +