Patchwork Universe

Astraeus · Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 2:47 pm Post subject: A Beast In The Sands

[Astraeus arrives from the Slums: A Beast In The Slums]

The heat was the first thing to hit Astraeus as he emerged from his second mist walk. The heat and the brightness. The sun seemed so much brighter here than it had in the Slums and dispite his natural mistrust of Apollo and all his works, Astraeus spread wide his mighty arms and stood tall, basking in the sunlight for a moment or two.

Karl Groever · Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:37 pm Post subject:

As he flung his hirsute arms wide, Astraeus focused first upon the blazing Sun, the brilliance of Phoebus, burning bright. He fancied that he could hear something of the sound of his lyre's strumming in the echo of the wind across the lone and level sands.
As his gaze dropped lower, he followed a line of slanting light as it fell upon tall towers in the distance, grey and marbled, soaring from their distant base as if to challenge the very heavens.
And spread across the sands before this city - citadel, a many, many domed shapes, pastel shaded, often tiled, yet quiescent in the heat haze of the noon - day Sun.
As he shaded the glare from his eyes further, he believed that he could yet make out some distant black specks moving between the domes.

Astraeus · Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:36 pm Post subject:

This clearly wasn't Peerblind, and it clearly wasn't home either. So. What did that tell him? Also, here he was by another corner made by two walls of mist. And what did that tell him?

He squatted on the hot sands. He wasn't really prepared for a long trip. He had his aulos, and a wine skin, but not much else. He tugged at the wine skin as he tried to decide what he had actually learned, and drank deeply from it.

The Slums of Peerblind were, he had decided, enclosed by mists, although that was only on the evidence of two walls. This place likewise had two walls, and he felt happy to assume that it too was enclosed. He'd only seen one wall back at the woods, but that didn't mean there weren't more.

He took another swig, then realised he didn't know where he'd get more wine from, so stoppered the wine skin and scratched himself as he thought some more. These places were all enclosed then like... like pieces of a mosaic, with the mist serving as the mortar binding them. What did that tell him? He didn't know, but he was pleased with the analogy. He felt he was starting to get to grips with this whole situation.

Sylvester Canatharon, thug of Peerblind had said he couldn't see the mists, and he'd seemed a trustworthy fellow. Astraeus had no reason to suppose the fellow was lying. So, one more time, what did that tell him?

He suspected here was also a place of men. Those towers and domes looked mannish. Perhaps he could find someone here, someone alone so he could approach them in reasonable safety, and discover whether they could see the mists or if they were like Sylvester.

As to what that would tell him... he scratched again. It would probably tell him something, and he was happy to leave it at that until such a time as it had happened.

Stealthily he started moving in the direction of the domes... surely those black specks were people of some sort.

[OOC - it's only really his lower half (and his head of course) that's hirsute. He doesn't wax or anything, but his torso and arms are pretty hair free]

Karl Groever · Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:19 pm Post subject:

Astraeus smiled wickedly, showing teeth, as he found his earlier suppositions confirmed. Travelling on towards these domed buildings, he kept a determined eye upon the distant black specks. They coalesced into the shape of people in only a short time. He was already near enough to note that they seemed wild barbaroi themselves; swathed in cloaks, scarves and hoods, assorted pieces of plate occasionally hanging around a neck here, from the haft of a spear there. They were clustering in a small group, some five or six of them, all male, so it seemed, near to one of the domes - and that was the colour of a friendly sky. He judged that they had not yet spotted his approach, and began to consider what he should do next.

Astraeus · Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:23 am Post subject:

Cunning! That was the thing needed here. Cunning.

Although these men were clearly warriors, they were so few that they wouldn't present a problem to Asraeus if he had to fight, nor indeed if he chose to run. Unless they were favoured, of course. He sniffed the air, but couldn't detect the attention of any gods known to him.

Hmmm. Cunning. Yes, that was the thing.

At last, a plan formed itself, and he nodded slyly and grinned. This place might in some way be connected with Sylvester's Peerlind, so he would mimic that man's greeting.

With that thought, he bounded from his cover into plain sight, mere feet from the group of warriors and spoke.

"Who the hell are you?"

Karl Groever · Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 7:26 pm Post subject:

Astraeus's opening gambit was met with some swift, gabbled discussion, hard stares and some levelling of spearheads in his general direction. He began to suspect that these people had misinterpreted his well - meant greeting, and he exhaled a breath in frustration. Then, one of the warriors raised a hand in a clench, and brought the rest to silence. He stepped a little forward of the main group, and said, haltingly, at Astraeus 'You are not of the City, are you, Beast - man? You are one from the Outside.' As several of his compatriots began to renew their urgent jabbering, he waited for a response.

Astraeus · Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 8:36 pm Post subject:

"Outside," Astraeus repeated, forehead furrowing as he contemplated deeply. "Yes, of course. That must mean past the mist. You know of the mist, mannish warrior? You can see it?" His excitement, the tone of his voice, and the horns on his forehead all rose together.

He moved closer, and the men could clearly see that he was unarmed.

Karl Groever · Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 8:12 pm Post subject:

One of the men seemed to have taken some offence at Astraeus's flippancy. His face was marked with an ochre band smudged across his right eye, and he glared at the stayr for a time, growling something guttural. But another was smiling back at him and this fellow, tall and festooned with golden armlets, appeared to be taking charge, and urging his companion to be quiet, whilst ushering him back into line.

'No need for that, Hamesh,' he said. 'I admire your spirit, man of the Outside. I think I know of that of which you speak. It is said, indeed, that the Wise can see the paths between the worlds. But as to us, we are a simple forage party, who came to find a delicacy to fill our festal bowls. The ways of the Outside are, in truth, for the Wise to reckon, and not for such as ourselves'

Astraeus · Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2004 10:51 am Post subject:

Ah, of course... the Wise! They'd know about the mist and what it meant and why it had arrived and why Astraeus could see it but others couldn't and why Peerblind was there and this place was here... this place... where was this place? Or rather, since the answer to that was evidently it's here, how was this place identified? The question caused Astraeus to change gear, his mental process simply becoming a verbal one.

"What is this place called? It is not Peerblind, is it? Do you know the thug Sylvester Canatharon? Where are the wise? Are they men? Can you take me to them?"