Fallen Out Of Time

[Neri 3590]

The morning is crisp, the sky cloudy - although not alarmingly so, and the small hamlet seemed happy, and very alive. Carts lined the street, peddling their wares from elsewhere, whilst children scampered between legs and animals brayed happily, breath steaming in the winter air.

Looking down from the hill, the sight seemed very re-assuring indeed. Drawing up her scarf, the wanderer sighed. She stayed a moment, watching a bird circle over the town - as if a protector - before she began the descent down the cobbled path.

As she walked, she looked around her, absorbing in all the new sights with her wide amber eyes. She passed a small pile of stones, pausing briefly to look at them. They seemed strange, foreign.. The veins in the rocks were alien to her, like nothing she had seen before. She picked up a rock and placed it in her pack, thinking it was a good find. She brushed down her robe in a careful but practical way, and moved onwards down the path.

She trudged along the path, which was slowly transforming from archaic-looking cobble to a rather more rustic mud style, which did not improve the woman's mood. Looking ahead, she spotted a small inn perching precariously on the edge of a incline. It was sturdy, very much so, built from large blocks of rock, with a basic if homely thatched roof. Moving closer, she saw from the craftsmanship that her previous thought of the inn perching was wrong - the inn had obviously been here before the hill was. Remarkable, she thought.

Stopping at the door, she twisted the hems of her robe, ridding it of the sticky clay-like mud that lined the well-trodden path. She sniffed slightly, then reached up to the black-iron door handle and pushed firmly.

The strong timber door opened slowly, letting out a blast of warm, spice-rich air. She stepped inside, breathing in the homely scent eagerly. As her eyes adjusted to the ember-lit gloom of the inn, she spotted several groups of people in the room, mostly hunch-backed and deep in discussion around tables. It didn't seem much like a usual inn at all. She moved over to the bar, her chain-mail boots clinking slightly on the smooth wood floor. Looking at the bartender, who was deep in thought whilst rubbing a perfectly clean tankard. She noted this, and as she stood next to the bar, hands clasped to the edge, called quietly to the barkeeper;

"Only a troubled keeper worries about what is already clean."

The man looked up; a large, grizzled man, with a long, curly beard. His eyes were dark and aged, but the wrinkles on his face suggested a man who smiled more than grimaced. He glared for a moment, but his face quickly softened and he put the tankard down with a sigh.

"What makes you think i'm troubled?" he says, turning around to a shelf behind him, where he begins stacking already-organized bowls.

"I don't know. Are you?" the woman says, pushing her hood back and rubbing her moon-silver hair with a hand. She looks at her now-grubby hand and grimaces.

"It is not a host's duty to burden his guests. Please, sit down lass. What can I get you?" He pulls out a tankard and offers it to her.

"Oh, no. I don't drink alcohol. (Here she gets a funny look from the small man who she thought was comatose in the stool next to her.), water will do." She sits down, and pulls her robe over her ankles and removes her grubby shoes, apologizing to the barkeep.

The barkeep laughs, a booming peal of thunder in the warm atmosphere of the inn. "Water? You'd be lucky to get any of that here. It's all undrinkable - why do you think we don't have a well?" He smiles, and the woman looks down, realizing that she had indeed not seen any well, a fact that should be obvious.

"Not from around here then?" he mumbles, winking at her. The woman shuffles slightly in her seat and reaches forward for the tankard, taking it in her hands.

She looks up at the barkeep. "No, I suppose you could say that. Not that I know where here is...". Re-adjusting her scarf over the bridge of her nose she coughs and looks down slightly morosely at the empty tankard clutched in her left hand.

The man leans over the counter, and takes the tankard gently from her hands. "Continue, I have time to chat. Not a huge amount of business here, anyway. Just some regulars...". He turns around, and fills the tankard with some unknown liquid.

"I don't want to bore you with the details, but I could use a favor." She taps her hands on the counter and eyes up the man next to her, who appeared to be out cold - and dribbling. The barkeep doesn't reply, but simply pushes a tankard of a sweet-smelling liquid over to her, which pleasantly sloshes around as it slides to a halt.

"I've been... out of the kingdom a while. I could use some help with information, particularly about world events."

The man raises a caterpillar-thick eyebrow and grumbles; "Exactly how far out of the kingdom?". Pausing a moment to think, he scrawls down on a piece of parchment what she asked.

"That's on a need-to-know basis, and you do not, i'm afraid. No offence intended, of course." The woman slides off the stool, and places a gold coin onto the counter, and walks to the door.

The barkeep pauses, and calls over to her "What's your name, lass?"

She stops a moment, and looks back. "To you? Grey." She looks around the homely inn a second, before pushing the door open and walking out into the cold, crisp morning.

Leaning over the counter, the barkeep looks at the coin, then picks it up, inspecting it. He prods the comatose dwarf awake, and shows him the coin. They both look at each other quizzically, and then stare at the door with a look of intrigue.

[[OOC: I've been out of LotC for a while. Recount to me the events that have happened. The information need not be neutral in any way - that isn't how history works, right? ;)]]

[char615 41]

(( Renatus is Still troll central... ))

[VonEbs 1224]

((Freya is back... and better then evar!))

[trotski24 24]

The Dwarf walks outside to the woman.

'I don't care where ye've been' He pauses 'but how long ye've been away would be a good start...hic! scuse me'

[Neri 3590]

The Dwarf walks outside to the woman.

'I don't care where ye've been' He pauses 'but how long ye've been away would be a good start...hic! scuse me'

The woman stops, and regards the drunken dwarf. She pauses, and reaches into her pocket, pulling out a diary. She flips it open, and tips it forwards. The paper inside disintegrates into dust, and blows into the air.

"Quite long it would seem. Although, how long is exactly what I need to know..."

[Repiteo 173]

Lucian looks down from a branch in a nearby tree, examining this unfamiliar face with mild interest.

"What a shame," he murmurs with a slight smirk, "to think that one could simply be separated from the status-quo to such a visible extent."

He then shakes his head in slight pity, but not before first taking out his lute and struming it softly, making it emit a somber tune under a hushed wind.

Returning his gaze to the woman, he says under his breath, "Welcome to reality sweetheart..."

Upon this statement, he disregards the woman and looks to the clouds passing overhead, still struming blissfully his somber tune.

((Its an upmost pleasure to see you've returned! The LotC community welcomes you back with open arms and mildly stale cookies))

[trotski24 24]

The woman stops, and regards the drunken dwarf. She pauses, and reaches into her pocket, pulling out a diary. She flips it open, and tips it forwards. The paper inside disintegrates into dust, and blows into the air.

"Quite long it would seem. Although, how long is exactly what I need to know..."

Startled the Dwarf totters over to a near by stump and sits down.

'Hmm it doesh seem that ye've been gone fer a while, where to begin...where to begin' He announces and stares sombrely at the sun.

'Well I know little details but I can give yer an account that should outline the major happenings though the order may be jumbled, well that old town used to be on the kings road ya know the one in the desert? its name evades me but on with the story that place became an independent state or shomethin' of that sort and thar was also a short war sometime round then which caused the ransacin' of Alras, also der was the blightin' of Alhkazar twas anyhow back ta that independent village well that twas attacked by a group of dwarves after many skirmishes, I was told it was a good fight' The dwarf proclaims stamping his foot and thumping his chest with a brief smile flickering upon his lips.

'And during this time there also a few marriages and tournaments and other shuch like but I will stay with the major events of which I can only think of the final one' He stops and tugs on his beard' the fall of Aegish' He says saddened.

'Many lives where lost and many nations fell...hic but thatsh not all bad thar was an eshpedition tha' went to the nether to retrieve an artifact and from what I heard they managed to retrieve it and sever the link with the infernal nether and after this there was the final battle the temple was destroyed..the refugees fled and we went to our final hope the Verge where we built boats and set out for here Asulon' He stares down at the ground and one single tear drps from his eye he grinds it in to the dirt.

'Shorry It was such a brief explanation of some many events but...I suggest you find someone else these memories they...' He walks back into the inn.

[Blundermore 2741]

((Great to see you back!))

[char615 41]

*Krogu Spies the Dwarf and The Woman Speaking to one another, With a Humble look on His Face He Straightens His Back and Shuffles over to The Pair, Leaning on His Cane He ***** one leg over the other*

"So... Lat Nub been 'Ere Long tyme? Or Lat nub been 'Ere fer while.... Skah me, Dat a Long Ty- SKAH!"

*The Old Orc Falls Over And Rolls Around In Annoyance, Whilst yelling at his Leg, Something along the lines of 'Failure' Or 'Skahead'*

[Lawrence Berell 226]

*sits back, grinning with a mouth full of teeth like daggars "Well, you've missed some rises and falls, Iblees is vanquished and the Dark Brotherhood fell. What about it all?"*

*sits and ponders, awaiting a response*

[Shuness 24]

*Shuness leans on a wall, close enough to the woman to overhear her conversation. He glances over at her, then chuckles, walking over to her.*

So, you've been gone for quite a while, eh? Don't know what you caught from that dwarf, but they aren't always the best people to get information from. So, tell me. What do ya need to know?

((Welcome back, Miss Freya. An honor to see you return.))

[ΚΨΙΞ 710]

[[FINALLY, I CAN RIDE AROUND ON SHEEP WITH FREYA AGAIN :D]]

[argonian 14254]

((Glad to see your back. I hope your throat is better.))

As Tylos was drinking his ale in the corner of the tavern, he notices a strange looking women walk in. She looks as if she hasn't been around for at least a few decades. He listens carefully as asks the bartender about what has happened and then after finishing his ale, he walks out after the Dwarf. After listening to the short conversation between the Dwarf and the woman, he walks up to her and and tries to learn more about what she meant by "I've been... out of the kingdom a while". "What did you mean by 'I've been... out of the kingdom for a while.'? Where did you go while we were all stuck in the tainted death-trap called Aegis? Don't be so secretive, or I might just assume that you are some outlaw."

[steelersfan1221 300]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.