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Saga of Daie d'Malkin 2- Arrival


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#1 Guest_Daie_*

Posted 22 April 2005 - 06:55 PM

Daie looked around the camp. It was full of tents, and men, elves and other humanoids were gathered around numerous fires, cooking food. To his left, a mercenary looked up.
“You new?”
“Yes, I’m looking for employment.”
“Third tent down on the right”
“Thank you”
He walked down to the suggested tent, and knocked on the wooden plank outside.
“Enter.” Came a voice from inside.
Daie ducked under the flap, and entered the tent. It was quite dingy inside, and it was hard to make out features, but inside were a group of people, all clustered around a table. At the head of the table was a Drow woman. Daie gasped, and jumped back.
“Surprised?” asked the woman
“Well yes. I didn’t know there were Drow on the surface.”
The woman winked at him, and smiled “Don’t worry, I’m a good one.” She pointed to the emblem on the shoulder plate of the full plate armour she wore. The symbol of Eilistraee.
“Looking for employment?”
“Yes”
“Fighter?”
“Ranger” replied Daie slowly.
“What else?” asked the woman, reading his pause perfectly.
“I’m a cleric.”
“Really?” the woman sounded surprised. “Not many ranger clerics are elves. Have you much experience?”
“I was trained by the best ranger in my homeland.”
“What about the religion?”
“That’s more new. I only started it a few months ago, and I can’t really cast much.”
“So you haven’t learnt yet. That can be sorted. Well, you look competent enough. You’re in. Do you have any questions?”
“Well, I am a bit unsure of becoming a mercenary.”
The woman laughed “Don’t worry, we aren’t like the rest. Technically we are not even a mercenary company, more of an adventuring band. We don’t kill for money. I find that…distasteful. No, you will spend most of your time in recovering artefacts in dungeons, or slaying monsters.”
Daie nodded. This was fine by him.
“Right, well, I suppose we’d better sort you out with a section and some equipment. Oh, by the way what’s your name?”
“Daie. Daie Vanya”
“I’m Raven d'Malkin, this is Minstra del Gardia, my second in command.” She indicated a slender elf by her side.
“del Gardia?” asked Daie “As in the Suldnessalar del Gardia’s?”
“Yes” replied the elf woman “You’re from Suldnessalar.” She stated matter of factly.
“Just left three days ago.”
“How are things there?”
“Not too bad. Your family is alright if that is your meaning.”
Minstra smiled glad to hear it.
“And this is Maron” said Raven, pointing to a slim elven woman with fair hair and long, slightly blue tinted wings near the door to the tent. “She is in charge of the clerics and healers. An avariel, before you ask.”
Maron offered her hand, and Daie kissed it.
“Pleasure to meet you.” he said, smiling.
“Watch out Min, we’ve got ourselves a charmer.” Laughed Maron. “Lock up the women.” They laughed, and then Raven stared at Daie questioningly “How old are you?”
“A hundred and eleven three days ago.”
“Dear goddess, just a child.”
“No, an adult.” Replied Daie firmly.
She smiled grimly “Only just. You poor thing. You left home so young. Why?”
“I argued with my father.”
Minstra nodded “Hmm. Oh course. Your father was…fond of arguing when I left, but that is a topic for later discussion”
Raven nodded. “Right Daie, you will be placed in my section, which includes myself, Minstra, Maron, and a wild elf called Aesine, a sorceress. Maron can instruct you in your praying.”
“Thank you Miss d'Malkin, you are most kind” said Daie, formally.
“Not so formal! Call me Raven. We use first names around here. Well, in my section anyway. Most of the others are alright, but there are some who you should keep away from. Dranald for example, a half-orc. You’ll recognise him for his red armour. Stay away from him, unless with one of us in here.”
Daie nodded.
“Now, Minstra will sort you out with a tent, and equipment. I’ll see you later. Farewell”
“Goodbye”
He followed Minstra out of the tent, and down through the encampment.
Now that they were outside, he looked at Minstra. She was roughly the same height as him, with long black, curly hair framing a beautiful face. She wore leather armour, with a star and shadow motif covering her chest.
She noticed him looking at her chest, and raised an eyebrow “Question?”
He blushed “No, I was just wondering, what is that pattern?”
“It’s the emblem of the company. Starshadow. All of our equipment has it. People see it, they know it’s us.”
“I see.”
They had arrived outside a larger than normal tent. They ducked into it. Inside were several chest and containers, and a male halfling.
“I see you haven’t stolen it all yet.”
The halfling gave Minstra a look of mock-indignation “I would never steal from my employers. Borrow maybe, but never steal.”
Minstra snorted. “Daie here needs the usual equipment.”
The halfling gave her a lazy salute, and then dived into the pile of chests. He threw up several pieces of equipment. A tent, a blanket, bedding, and a cooking pot. He surfaced again to look at Daie carefully.
“Leather armour?”
“Yes please.”
The halfling disappeared, and reappeared holding a leather tunic with a Starshadow emblem on it, exactly the same as the one that Minstra was wearing.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
Daie donned the armour, and flexed his arms experimentally
“Good fit” he said, drawing and sheathing his sword.
“We aim to please” the halfling replied.
“Does this come out of wages” asked Daie
The halfling opened his mouth to speak, an opportunistic look in his eye, but he was cut off.
“Free, so don't listen if Tycho here tries to lever money from you.” replied Minstra. “Anyway, grab your stuff, I’ll find you somewhere to pitch the tent.”
Daie grabbed his kit, and staggered after Minstra, trying to balance all his gear in his arms.
Minstra stopped suddenly, at an empty patch of ground near the first tent he’d been in. Daie dropped his kit to the ground, swore, and tried to pick it up.
“Leave it. Here’s your plot. That’s my tent over there” she pointed to the tent next to them “That’s Raven’s over there” she indicated the large tent that he had met her in “And the rest of the section are over there.” Again she pointed.
Daie nodded, committing the information to memory.
“Now, get that tent out, I’ll help you pitch it.”
As they worked, Daie told Minstra the latest gossip from Suldnessalar, and she listened intently, a nostalgic gleam in her eye. She told him about herself, and how she came to leave the forest-city.
They pitched the tent, and stored Daie’s gear within. Minstra patted Daie on the shoulder. “I’ll see you later Daie. Dinner is at six.” She walked off to her tent, waving back at him.
Daie waved goodbye to her, then entered his tent, and lay down... He hadn’t slept in a while, so he decided to get a few hours sleep…

At six on the dot, a loud gong rang out, and woke Daie. He got up, and exited his tent, bumping into Maron, the cleric he had met earlier.
“Hello, um, Daie isn’t it? The charmer?”
She laughed
“Yes. What did that gong mean?”
“Dinner. Come on, I’ll take you.”
He followed her through the camp, to a long line of people, next to a trestle table laden with pots and pans full of food. They joined the end of the line.
“So Daie, how are you enjoying life in Starshadow so far?”
“Not too bad. Good company, comfy clothes, and a decent kip.”
The woman laughed “We do actually work sometimes, don’t let this fool you.”
They finally managed to get to the food. Maron grabbed them a couple of plates.
“Come on, I’ll tell you what’s what. That stuff is hare stew, that’s beef casserole.”
“What’s that?” asked Daie, pointing to a vaguely orange coloured food.
“S’ called curry. Comes from Calimport or Chult or somewhere like that, try it, it’s good.”
They both slopped some of the food onto their plates, and turned around. The rest of the company were sat in small groups outside, since it was a warm night.
“Come with me, we’ll sit with Raven and the others that you met earlier.”
They headed over to the Drow woman, and sat down next to her.
“Evening Maron, I see you found the newbie. Good evening Daie.”
“Good evening Miss Raven, good evening Minstra.”
Raven nodded to him, and leaned over, whispering conspiratorially. “The food may look like rothe dung, but it’s actually quite good.” They laughed. The meal passed pleasantly, their conversation keeping them there until after it got dark, before they finally retired.

Daie left his tent, and sat outside the flap. He looked up to the full moon, and prayed to Selune for his ranger-spells.
He heard a muttering nearby, and looked over to see Raven sat on the ground outside her tent, also praying. She looked over, and cocked an eyebrow questioningly. “Are you praying?”
“Yes.”
“To Elistraee?” she asked, indicating the moon that they were both praying to.
“Selune” he corrected.
“Really?” she asked, intrigued “That’s unusual, a darthiir…surface elf not worshipping a member of the Seldarine.”
“Long story” replied Daie.
“Do you play an instrument?” asked Raven suddenly.
“Yes, a violin, or a Yarting” replied Daie confused, “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well you see, one of the aspects of worshipping Elistraee is dancing, and nobody here can play. Would you play something for me?” she asked imploringly
“How could I refuse?” replied Daie, smiling.
Raven grinned, and ducked back into her tent, reappearing to throw Daie a battered Yarting.
Daie grabbed it, and settled into a comfy position, twanging the strings. “Still in tune” he said, “Do you have any requests?”
Raven thought for a moment “Do you know the moondance?”
“But of course.” Replied Daie, playing the first few bars.
Raven grinned again, and darted into her tent. Something rustled for a minute or so, and she stepped out again, this time wearing not her plate armour, but a thin gossamer gown. She stepped away from the tent, as Daie began to play. She stepped and leapt in time to the music, moving with an unearthly grace. Daie was mesmerised, but his hands continued playing the tune. He began nodding, and tapping his feet to the beat. Beat? He looked around. Half of the camp was sat watching, and someone was banging a beat on an improvised drum. They sat and watched as Raven danced, before finally, the song came to an end, Raven panting and sweating. The clearing erupted in applause, and cheering. Raven looked around, surprised at the number of people watching.
Daie stood up, and came to stand next to her. She laughed. “You dance well,” said Daie
“You play well” she replied.
He cocked his head, dodging the compliment. “It’s an easy tune.”
“I think that we had all best retire,” said Raven, raising her voice “We leave tomorrow”




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