Venefyxatu

OOC : Written in collaboration with Evangeline. Thank you! It continues here When the words "Bachelorette auction" reached his ears, Stephen stopped dead in his tracks with a muttered, "Uh-oh". Then, thinking of something, he made his way through the crowd with a vague smile, listening to conversations around him to try and determine the location of the booth. Upon arriving where he thought the Bachelorette auction was being organized, he asked the first person he heard, "Excuse me, is this the Bachelorette auction?" Evangeline was still wondering whether or not entering had been such a good idea when a deep and decidedly male voice startled her from behind. Evangeline turned around, wiping her hands on her skirt to dry them off and replied, "Yes, but... thou dost not look like a bachelorette...?" The man was not exactly tall and wore comfortable clothes in shades of brown and green. He had a pleasant, clean-shaven face with scar tissue surrounding grey eyes that stared at nothing. Stephen grinned, "I don't? I'd better not sign myself up then." and proceeded to feel around for the quill and parchment. When he found it, he scribbled down a name and put the quill down again. When Evangeline looked at the parchment, she could see that he'd written Tanuchan down. "What game art thou playing?" With a slight smile, Stephen answered. "What in Fate's name makes you think I'm playing a game?" "Well, thou didst not write thine own name down ..." "Ahh, that ... let's say it's a surprise for a friend." His grin was unmistakably mischieveous. "I'm Stephen Hascodem, by the way. Would you still risk telling me your name now that you've seen what I do?". Evangeline chuckled at Stephen and smiled. Whatever else he was planning, the man had succeeded in quieting her discomforts about having entered. "My name is Evangeline Heveta. It is a pleasure to make thy aquaintence, Stephen. Although, I must tell thee... whatever else thou art, thou ART the only man here!"

OOC : Written in collaboration with Tanny and Panther. Thanks guys! Stephen continued walking through the crowd, somehow managing to not bump into people, when he felt a familiar presence. Extending his senses into the earth to make sure, he quickly picked out Tanny's pattern and approached her with a toothy grin. "How is my favourite wolf-lady?" ::That grin combined with those words add up to mischief ... what kind of trouble did you get me in?:: Stephen looked almost shocked. "Me? Trouble?" ::Stephen ... :: With another grin, Stephen gave in. "Okay, okay ... remember how eager you were to see me in the Bachelor's auction?" ... "There's a Bachelorette one this time, and guess who's participating?" ::You didn't.:: A cheerful silence was the only answer she got. "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr..." The very audible growl made several passer-byes look at the bristling wolf. ::You didn't dare!:: Stephen's grin widened as he sensed Tanny was preparing to jump him. "You know wolves don't normally attack just like that, do you?" Right before she jumped, Stephen turned and bolted, with Tanny hot on his heels. Some people who knew Stephen wondered as how the blind Ranger could run so fast without colliding with anyone, and quickly gave way to the wolf chasing him. ::Auction, heh? I'll set you flying for your... :: Tanny almost stopped mid-chase, a very wide mischievous grin stamped into her face when she suddenly snapped at Stephen's heels and made him veer to his right. A few snaps later, Stephen sensed there was a booth in front of them - and tried to avoid it, even knowing there was someone else exactly in the direction he turned to. CheerMynx let out a shriek that almost deafened Stephen's sensitive ears, and Panther widened his eyes as he saw - too late - a Ranger and a wolf on a collision-route with them. When the ball of wolf, mynx, and panther fur and ranger clothes were sorted out, CheerMynx had Stephen sitting on her lap while Tanny crawled out from under both Panther and CheerMynx. ::Ouch... you're heavy cats... Panther, I'm afraid you need a diet... :: "A diet, eh... I'll have you know I'm the same weight now as I was the day of my reincarnation, those many years ago..." Panther said, half jokingly. He then got up off of Tanny, so that she could get herself free. She sighed, relieved, and shook herself vigorously. "Ohmygod, Tanny this was so fun can we do it again??" CheerMynx giggled helplessly into Stephen's startled form, and Tanny shimmered into human shape - a rather disheveled one, but grinning in a most satisfied way. "Maybe some other time, kitty... look, Stephen here would just love to learn how to fly, I was trying to teach him but as fast as he run he seems unable to actually take off... "

1. I quite enjoy not having the roles revealed ... it adds just that little "extra" if you asked me - which you did 2. Seeing how I've been going inactive in posting in the last two WW games, I think I'll take a WW-vacation for now ...

Neriam had grown even more quiet than usual, pondering over the deaths and how they could've been avoided. It just wasn't right ... He sat quietly, speaking when spoken to and never unfriendly, but always oh so pensive ... OOC : told you I'd end up writing two-liners

Hmmmm ... you might e on to something there

Neriam tried not to swear at carrying firewood on his back ... after all, if they were going up in the cold, it made sense to carry something to burn. But he did hate having his hands full or his movement restricted. He started thinking, to get his mind off the wood on his back. He'd taken some extra because, well, his back was empty anyway. It couldn't have been an outsider ... nobody would sneak up to a group this big and risk getting caught just to slit a pack horse's throat. That ruled out the entire world population minus a few ... good, he was making progress. It couldn't have been a dwarf, either ... a dwarf trying to be sneaky would make enough noise to wake the dead. The hobbits were too happy-go-lucky ... they could be sneaky, but they didn't have murder in them. The rangers ... they were special, but didn't they have something with animals, and surviving in the wild? They'd know better than to kill a horse they'd still need. It couldn't have been Rootmaker either ... if the tree had killed the horse, it wouldn't have been found with a cut. They would've had purée. That left the elves and the humans ... of those, the Rohirrim was easy to discard : he'd rather slit his own wrists than hurt a horse. Mattias? He was young, yes, but he'd seemed so happy to leave Rivendell and start travelling. Baelestima was out of the question ... he, like Seothen, would probably rather slit his own wrists than hurt an animal. Linador ... the horsemaster would know how to kill a horse, but he'd probably cared for the animal far too long to just kill it like that. That only left Jagkatha, the elf with the fiery temper ... though she was also a ranger. Shaking his head, Neriam let go of the thoughts and declined Filk's offer with a slight smile. "Thanks, but putting the wood down and picking it up again would hold us up far too long ... " Then, with a grin and a wink, he added, "leaves more for you" OOC : Vote for Mynx/Jagkatha ... the dice have decreed it so.

Evil cackling can be heard, and with the crackling of some Hellish energy, a creature of nightmare appears. Muahhahahaaahhh ... fear my modly powers! Tanny asked me to let everyone know that she can't access the Pen at the moment. If she can't post within the next half hour or so, she'll post in about 5 hours of coming home today (which would be sometime past 8:30 pm her time). Now, to wreak some havoc with these mo... wait ... what's happening ... wha? With the announcement made, the modly powers, evil cackling, and nightmare-ish creature vanish like snow in an oven.

Neriam didn't have much to pack, but he did pack meticulously. Every item perfectly in place, strapped tight enough under his clothes to keep it from moving, but loose enough to grant him easy access. He checked himself every now and then, adjusting what items gave themselves away through bumps in his clothes. When he was satisfied that he didn't appear to be carrying anything, he nodded, put on his heavy cloak, and left his room without looking back. He'd made a habit of leaving quickly, without lingering on memories...

Neriam had been enjoying the fine Elven food and the light conversations with some of the other guests. When the commotion started, he'd pulled back a bit; he didn't want to be part of it, not here, not in one of the few places he was always welcome. While he didn't hold any particular like or dislike for Dwarves, he did feel sorry for the poor fellow who'd started it. From the look of things, he hadn't done it on purpose. Luckily for him, one of his kinsmen seemed to be looking out for him. Suppressing a slight smile, Neriam watched the man who left the room... apparently he wasn't used to Elven wine, though he did look rather sad ... Wondering why, Neriam decided to try and ask him about it next time he saw the man. For now, he'd continue enjoying the feast.

Wheee, character! Neriam Therzyn, son of Elwen Therzyn Neriam is a quiet (hu)man whose presence is easily forgotten; something about him just makes it easy to ignore him if he's not talking. His wide, comfortable clothes usually hide a lot of stuff, which makes it seem as if he's travelling empty-handed. And travelling is what he does ... a lot. He doesn't like staying in one settlement for very long and most settlements, especially the human ones, don't like having him around for very long. Whenever he feels he's outstayed his welcome in too many places he goes to stay with the elves for a while, whose culture and way of living he truly enjoys. Maybe that's one of the reasons why he's never had to leave any of their settlements very quickly. Eventually, however, he always realizes that his place is not among elves and he starts travelling again. His quick fingers and his ability to turn anything and everything into a defensive item or weapon have saved his life many times. It's been exactly a year now since he arrived at Rivendel...

Apparently I can, because it worked *hides more*

Since bonking, whatever it is, requires personal contact, a homing-bonking-device cannot exist ... *hears something disappear in a puff of smoke behind him and hides*

I'm in, but with no more than a two-liner every 48 hours *runs from Tanny before she has a chance to bonk him*

*high-pitched voice* I'm still in as well ... same character Purple ninja edit : question What about past PM dealings? I assume that they are null, void, nonexistand and "never-happened" now?

As soon as she heard her name, the Madame sailed up on the stage and made an elaborate bow to the crowd. She had to rearrange herself somewhat, and while doing so she noticed Celina sitting in the crowd. With another dignified nod to her friend, the Madame turned to Heather just in time to hear her ask what topic the Madame would choose. "The Madame knows that she should take Current Age, but her horoscope told her not to trust her gut feelings today, so she shall be taking Medieval Times." Then she folded her arms across her chest, which took quite some coordination, and waited for Eda's choice.

Edi was having the time of his death; he could go anywhere without bothering to use openings, he could see anything and listen to anything, and nobody even knew he was there, and best of all, he could scare the living daylights out of the ones who weren't as fortunate as him. Maybe being dead wasn't such a bad thing after all ... When he saw Niab sitting against the cave wall, thinking and studying Fleur, he decided to give him a reason to believe Fleur. Just as the man got up, Edi came floating next to him. Niab didn't seem to react immediately, so he came closer, and closer ... and closer, until he was floating through Niab, sending a chill down his spine. With a mad cackle, Edi kept floating in circles around Niab ...

wasmybottle, damn you! My ... heehhhh ... ... ... bottle! *shakes fist*

Edi was still sitting quietly in his part of the caverns, where Fleur had left him, his bottle now as good as empty. With a dazed smile on his face he was staring straight ahead of him, every now and then taking another sip of his, for the moment, favorite bottle. Had he been more sober, and more attuned to picking up the general sentiment of a group, he might've been able to feel some of the animosity towards him. As it was, however, he emptied his bottle and let his hand slide to the floor while slipping into a blissful half-sleep, the happy smile still on his face. OoC : No IC reason, but adding my vote to Pillow/Tor for general skin-saving purposes

OoC : Co-written with Sweetcherrie / Fleur. It was definitely fun The rumours had reached Fleur fast enough, and she tried to get closer to what was happening. The body of Mr. Herts was still lying in the cave, and now some people even had the indignity to start argueing about whether the body should be buried or if it should be thrown into the death stills. She wished Chakyaka was there, he would certainly be able to clear all of this up. But wait a minute, maybe she could as well. Lets see...what had he said again that afternoon? Something with spirits being freed as soon as people dried. No, that wasn't it. They had to be buried, no they had to be thrown into the death stills before they would dry, and then their spirits would be free. Well, something like that at least. Fleur decided not to interfere, ever since she had met Chakyak that afternoon her head had been full with him, and she seemed to be unable to remember anything else. She backed away slowly, not knowing how she would be able to help, and bumped into Edi. "Oh, hey Edi." Edi hadn't heard any of the rumors since he was too busy with his newly-found treasure and making sure that it remained hidden, but everyone seemed to be moving to the same spot. He took another swig from his bottle and staggered closer. Just as he stumbled a bit to the side, however, someone backed into him and he spilled some of his beer. He was about to launch into swearing fit (about the only thing he had in common with the Fremen was his aversion to wasting liquid, although he didn't care as much about the non-alcoholic variant) when he saw who it was that had bumped into him. "Errr ... h ... ho ... he ... " He stopped to think for a few moments, frowning in concentration. "Hi?" The air of alcohol waved over Fleur and she felt slightly nauseuous. Edi was drunk that was clear, but somehow she felt sorry for him and could understand it as well. The past couple of days had been pressure to everybody, and it was only logical that he would need a drink to take the stress off. He held onto the wall and Fleur rushed to help him stay on his feet. "Seems to me you'll be as down as poor Gary is if you continue like this..." Fleur thought for a moment, it wouldn't be a good idea for everybody to see Edi like this, "Shall I help you back to your bed?" "B... bed? I just ... eehhhh ..." For a few moments, Edi just stared in the distance, almost as if he'd forgotten everything and everyone around him. Then his eyes more or less focussed on Fleur again and he managed some sort of smile, although the alcohol in his body made it an overly happy one. "... slept." Somewhere in the back of his mind, the words "pretty, nice, be" and "very" appeared, and arranged themselves. Edi held up his bottle, only instinct saving both him and Fleur from getting showered. "Wanna ... " A pause, followed by the rest of the sentence. "... drink?" He wobbled dangerously, and Fleur had difficulties keeping him up straight now. Someone from the group looked back, and she wanted to get Edi out of there. He was a nice guy as far as she knew, but would get into serious trouble probably if they would catch him this drunk. "You know what? I'll have a drink with you in your part of the caverns, ok?" "Caverns ... yah." Edi had quite a lot of experience with staying on his feet while drunk, but now that he was offered support he gladly used Fleur's help. "So why ..." Putting a hand on a stone to rest for a moment, Edi took another drink from his bottle. There was still quite a lot left in it, he observed happily before the two of them continued on their way. OoC again : no vote yet

When Edi staggered into the cave, he didn't bother sitting down or moving to a comfortable place ... at a certain point he just stopped moving. He stood looking around himself for a few moments, hardly noticing his surroundings as the throbbing of a major headache was getting worse. Suddenly, he realized he was still holding something and looked at it. "What's ... hmmmm ... " He turned it around and came to the conclusion that it was now pointing in the wrong direction, so he turned it around again. After staring at the object for a little longer he decided that it wouldn't be of any more use to him, since there was no liquid in it for him to drink, so he opened his hand and let go of it. The shock of the weapon hitting the ground caused it to fire a needle, which wedged itself into a crack in the rock right next to captain Algers. The latter frowned and moved over to Edi. With something of a growl in his voice, he spoke, "You might want to be more careful with those things. Just to be sure ... I want like it back." Edi blinked and stared at the Captain for a moment. "... that?" Then, slowly, he picked up the weapon again and held it out for the Captain to take it back. OoC : Thanks to Patrick for the answers to my questions

Nathaniel wandered around his house after watching his ... well ... she was still his grandmother, no matter how young she looked ... grandmother fade away. Now that he was one of them, he could see the ghosts that he'd never even noticed while he was still alive. Some of them seemed quite friendly, others aloof, and one of them seemed downright hostile, but none of the others paid that one any heed so he ignored it as well. He stopped at his desk, and looked at the envelopes lying there, remembering writing the letters in them. "To whomever may find this, The fact that you are reading this means that I have died. Whether through the claws of one of the Werebeasts or through ... other means, the fact remains that there is nobody here left to take care of my things, or continue my work. Whatever the circumstances, and whatever you may think of me, I beg of you one last favour. There is another envelope here on the desk, containing a letter to an associate of mine. Come Spring, please give it to the first merchant to go to the nearest city. As soon as my associate receives it he will set out to come and retrieve a few of the things in this house; the books I have listed below, along with a few items. These items have always, and will always, belonged to the Chroniclers, and he will see to it that they receive them. He is an honest man, and will take only what is theirs. Tsal, there are a few books on carving techniques from the far North in my collection. I'm sure the things written down in them will improve your already marvellous skills and might give you something extra to trade with passing merchants. Lillen, take a look in the second room on your left when you go up the stairs. Some of the clothes there have belonged to my mother, some have belonged to me when I was little. Take good care of each other. Everything else I give to the town, to use for those who need it most. May you all prosper. Nathaniel Blake Churnstone" What follows is a rather short list of books, mostly written by Nathaniel himself, and an even shorter list of items. With a satisfied nod, trusting that the townspeople would take care of his last request, Nathaniel set out to meet his new peers.

Edi, slumped against the wall, looks up with that absent smile of his, his eyes unfocussed. His clothes, once fine linens, are well underway to becoming rags and seem to be carelessly draped about his gaunt body. He runs an unsteady hand through his hair, a matted, greasy, brown mess of tangles and speaks in his customary slurred way. "Heehh ... I'll ... hmm ... " He stops speaking for a few moments, then sighs and resumes what he was saying. "... play." Edit : purple ninja edit to add a physical description

Nathaniel did not enter the inn for stew today. He did not scribble in his notebook. Instead, he walked through the village, pale, even more quiet than usual, apparently absorbed in his own thoughts but catching snippets of conversation whenever he thought about paying attention. "... has last seen her." "But Karen was ..." "Did you hear ... " "Annie did ..." "... didn't Annie last ..." Annie? The little girl seemed to be on everyone's lips today. Now that he thought about it, he'd seen her storm through one of the streets in rage a few minutes ago. Maybe he'd have to have a talk with her ... but what could he ask? She'd probably not talk to him anyway, with him being new in the village and her foul moods. The little girl vanished from his mind again as his thoughts turned back to his poor granny ... OoC : Susan / Mynx. Because it's random. Edit : Nathaniel. Not Cedric. That's what you get for posting while trying to pay attention in class

Nathaniel had been writing all evening. Some of it had been scribbling in his notebook but mostly he'd been writing in a big, blank book. He could write neatly if he concentrated on it, and he was definitely doing that; this book was too important to let it go to waste by scribbling. When he eventually fell asleep in his chair, he did not notice the drop in temperature, nor the fact that several things moved around. He slept through the chanting that seemed to come from the basement, and through the fragile voice that seemed to be trying to drown it out. In the morning, when he woke up, he blamed the hearth that had gone out for the cold air and quickly lit a fire again. After making sure that it was safe, and that his books wouldn't burn down in his absence, he once more put on his winter garments and returned to the town. There, the lips of the villagers told him everything about the death of Jonathan. When he entered the inn, he had a worried frown on his face and was even more absent-minded than before as he ordered his stew. Even though he already loved it after tasting it once, he hardly tasted it, intent as he was on jotting down notes in his booklet. What did that boy from yesterday want with it, anyway? It's not like it'd be of any use to anyone here ... OoC : Cast my vote for Leif. Purple ninja edit : Roleplay stuff.

His feet took him through a few more streets before he passed the inn, where his stomach reminded him what he'd come here for. He'd been here for a week now and he still hadn't tasted that wonderful stew. Mentally scolding himself, Nathaniel entered the inn and sat at a table by himself. After ordering a portion of stew he took out a notebook and a pen and started scribbling. Even had his handwriting been neat, he'd developed so many personal abbreviations that anyone reading along over his shoulder wouldn't have been able to make sense of it. The stew and the warmth got him thinking, and even though he knew it was futile to try and figure out who the werebeast could be his mind inevitably returned to the subject, arranging everything he knew about all the villagers he'd met, searching for any kind of clue ... Annie, who was doing a great job at not being seen by Nathaniel (and who probably needn't have bothered since the man could be very absent-minded), decided that she had to have a look at that notebook. OoC : Accusing Adam / Giles Jordan