imported_Pantera
05-01-2004, 18:26
{{OOC: The initial posts in this topic have already been posted in the 'I'm in the mood' thread. As they are important to coming events, I have decided to include them here as well. MASSIVE changes in Pantera are coming, and they will all begin in this thread. If you have anything to do with Pantera, or ever plan to, I wouild advise you keep up, because things are about to go terribly, terribly wrong. Believe that shit.
To provide a bit of background, Dayne has been mikssing in Pantera for a few months. Hidding out from himself, as it were. After discovering his young wife abed with nother man, Dayne had killed the man, banished the wife, and fled the Seastone Palace. Recently he has finally spoken to Bastien who has just returned from AMF. Even though he dislikes the idea of it he is a dutiful brother, and Dayne makes for Sunspear, the greatest city in the South...}}
*
As Lord Defender of the Saryn Marches, Protector of the South and Prince of Sunspear, Jace Godsgrace was not a man who was used to being ordered to do anything, unless it was the Lord Reaver himself. A threat upon his person was unheard of, and almost obscene... He thought, that as the most powerful Lord in Pantera, that he was above being threatened by any man, much less Dayne, ragged from the road, smelling of booze and unshaven for three days.
It had started out well enough. Dayne and the Hound had been passing through Sunspear when they stopped to call Bastien. His order was to raise the Saryn Banners and host all of Godsgrace's ships and men in preperation for a 'large-scale' campaign. Bastien would say no more on a line he wasn't sure was secure, but he had been vehement about the need for the Saryn Banners and their attending might.
Godsgrace, however, had not proved cooperative. He made excuses, claiming most of his fleet was in dry-dock for repairs, and his remaining garrisons were needed for a pending Clan-Feud with the Lord of the Burning Gate of the Vale. Dayne had persisted until nightfall, when Godsgrace had called an end to the discussions for the night, and had retired.
Dayne however, remained awake and walked the walls of Sunspear, glancing over at the towering crystal thrust that the great citadel tooks its name from. Some eight-hundred feet high, its depths even now reflecting the few lights that remain alight brilliantly.
A fine scene, and he was enjoyng it immensely when the girl appeared. Thick of breast and small of waist, she boasted the golden hair and chocolate eyes of House Starshade. Dayne had never met the girl, but he knew her story, and of her beauty. Last blood of a dying House that had held the South for eight-hundred years until Godsgrace had wrested it from them during the Redeye Rebellion that had claimed the lives of so many. Bastien himself had killed the girls father when he refused to bend the knee after Dayne had put down Redeye's rebellion. Aye, Dayne knew the story. All men did, and it was well known the girl was a 'ward' of Jace Godsgrace. Hostage more like... Dayne thought as he looked on the lass before jerking from his revelry back to the present.
Her smile is almost shy as she curtsies and her voice is melodic with the accents of the Tribal tongues, still spoken in Starshade,"My Lord Prince. I am Eshara Starshade... Long have I waited to speak with you, and now you are here."
Dayne smiles but taken slighly aback by the girls manner, her breasts pulling tightly at her bodice as she arches her back and tilts her head, allowing her thick mane of golden hair to cascade over a shoulder. Whore. Is the first thing that pops into the Evenstar's mind, but she was there, and it would be a fine distraction. Besides, the thought of his Bastard in this girl's belly would sour Godsgrace's attitude somewhat when Starshade's lands and title did not fall to him upon her death, likely not far away.
Reaching a hand to cup the girl's cheek, Dayne leans close and plants the lightest of kisses on her lips and whispers,"I know who you are My Queen of Beauty. I have long awaited this moment as well..."
The Evenstar wasn't quite finished, but the girl suddenly broke into sobs and threw herself at him, showering him with wet, tear sodden kisses. Her wails were loud, and he thought to clamp a hand over her mouth, but was shaking and wailing so... "My Lord... I knew you would save me. The old woman told me so long ago that you were the one... Take me, My Lord. Take me from this place and away from that beast of a Lord. PLEASE! He beats me, and does such... *sob* Terrible things to me..."
Dayne strokes the girls hair reassuringly andsays,"Aye lass, all will be well. You'll come with me and Bastien will set things right. You'll see. Come. We'll get my Hound and we'll be gone before that pig of a Godsgrace knows a thing..."
The shadows sweeping in around Dayne are silent but for the scrape of steel and the scuff of Jace Godsgrace's heels. Men swarm out of rooms, alcoves and out into the yard below from the great double doors of the citadel. Clad in silvery-blue livery, there are too many to count at a glance, but a glance is all Dayne needs to know they are all armed to the teeth.
Thrusting the girl behind himself, Dayne jerks his dagger from its sheath on his hip and sneers, placing himself between the armed men and the girl. The click of a hammer on a pistol stops him from launching himself at Godsgrace, but it did not silence him,"You'll burn for this, craven. You think to bear steel against me and not go unpunished? Bastien will have you flayed for this."
Godsgrace's smile is painted with contempt as he speaks,"I think not, boy. I think your brother will have his hands full soon enough. And from now on, you may adress me as Lord Reaver Jace Godsgrace. A nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Dayne spits and curses them, but as they close he has no choice but to lower his dagger. Some twelve to one they have him on the wall, with a dozen more below, all armed with swords and at least one with a pistol.
"Cowards..! Is all he has time to roar before the first blow lands to his face. The world becomes a haze of pain and burning fury, but through it he hears the wails of the girl...
**
"You're mad Godsgrace.... I've eaten your salt... and you've violated my guestright. Cursed by Gods and Men alike you are." It was hard for Dayne to speak through lips smashed into pulp and his brain refuses to hold still, but he continues to spit obscenities as they haul him to feet. One eye is swollen almost shut, his nose has been broken and at least one tooth was chipped.
Snatching one of Dayne's braids, Godsgrace pulls him close, leaning in to leer in his face,"Keep your threats, Dayne. You are yet valuable to me. If you conduct yourself proper-like, maybe I shall let you live in the Great Tower once the Seastone Palace is mine."
Snarling, the traitor Lord thrusts Dayne to his knees and turns, barking orders at his Captain of the Guards,"Have him thrown in one of the Black Cells. DO NOT let him out of your sight, understood?"
The man nods quickly and Godsgrace turns on his heel to stride off down the hall, his grossly fat body swaying beneath the great orange and black cloak draping his shoulders. The sight made Dayne sick.
A sword prodding him in the middle of his back starts him moving, and soon he is lost amid the twists and turns of Sunspear, though he knows they are heading down, ever downward into the bowels of the great citadel. The bowels, he thought. Fitting for the smell was that of a privy.
Dayne glances uyp at a torch, set in an iron sconce. No electricity this low? He wonders numbly. The blows to his head had numbed his wits, and his senses seemed wrapped in wool.
Coughing lightly, he lurches into the wall, scraping his face against the stone and leaning down to retch uncontrollably. A familiar roar reaches his ears, but all he can do is retch, and retch and retch...
When his stomach has emptied itself Dayne raises his eyes to a scene of carnage. The half-dozen guards that Godsgrace had sent with him were scattered about the hall, and Caval the Warhound sweeps among them, a red-rain flying from his longsword. A few of the guards tried to fight, but the old Hound cut and spun, the silvered blade of his longsword flicking in, out, always finding purchase against flesh or bone.
The rest of the guards, seeing the demon that has fallen upon them turn to flee, but the Hound is then upon them. Showing no mercy, he hamstrings the first and plunges his blade through the back of the second. The final guard is almost to a set of large doors when the Hound bears him down, dropping his longsword and jerking a dagger from his sheath. Sawing viciously at the man's throat, Caval rears back his head and howls like the beast from which he takes his name, the sound grief and rage-filled at once as the blood gushes from the terrible wound to his enemies throat and out, over his hands.
The entire time, Dayne simply stares, dumbfounded and befuddled. When the Hound rises, drenched in his foes blood and a wild look on his grizzled face, Dayne chuckles softly and weaves on his feet before pitching forward awkwardly onto his face.
The world is soon dark, and for awhile, nothing matters but that warm, soft blackness, and the throbbing agony of his head.
He comes...
To provide a bit of background, Dayne has been mikssing in Pantera for a few months. Hidding out from himself, as it were. After discovering his young wife abed with nother man, Dayne had killed the man, banished the wife, and fled the Seastone Palace. Recently he has finally spoken to Bastien who has just returned from AMF. Even though he dislikes the idea of it he is a dutiful brother, and Dayne makes for Sunspear, the greatest city in the South...}}
*
As Lord Defender of the Saryn Marches, Protector of the South and Prince of Sunspear, Jace Godsgrace was not a man who was used to being ordered to do anything, unless it was the Lord Reaver himself. A threat upon his person was unheard of, and almost obscene... He thought, that as the most powerful Lord in Pantera, that he was above being threatened by any man, much less Dayne, ragged from the road, smelling of booze and unshaven for three days.
It had started out well enough. Dayne and the Hound had been passing through Sunspear when they stopped to call Bastien. His order was to raise the Saryn Banners and host all of Godsgrace's ships and men in preperation for a 'large-scale' campaign. Bastien would say no more on a line he wasn't sure was secure, but he had been vehement about the need for the Saryn Banners and their attending might.
Godsgrace, however, had not proved cooperative. He made excuses, claiming most of his fleet was in dry-dock for repairs, and his remaining garrisons were needed for a pending Clan-Feud with the Lord of the Burning Gate of the Vale. Dayne had persisted until nightfall, when Godsgrace had called an end to the discussions for the night, and had retired.
Dayne however, remained awake and walked the walls of Sunspear, glancing over at the towering crystal thrust that the great citadel tooks its name from. Some eight-hundred feet high, its depths even now reflecting the few lights that remain alight brilliantly.
A fine scene, and he was enjoyng it immensely when the girl appeared. Thick of breast and small of waist, she boasted the golden hair and chocolate eyes of House Starshade. Dayne had never met the girl, but he knew her story, and of her beauty. Last blood of a dying House that had held the South for eight-hundred years until Godsgrace had wrested it from them during the Redeye Rebellion that had claimed the lives of so many. Bastien himself had killed the girls father when he refused to bend the knee after Dayne had put down Redeye's rebellion. Aye, Dayne knew the story. All men did, and it was well known the girl was a 'ward' of Jace Godsgrace. Hostage more like... Dayne thought as he looked on the lass before jerking from his revelry back to the present.
Her smile is almost shy as she curtsies and her voice is melodic with the accents of the Tribal tongues, still spoken in Starshade,"My Lord Prince. I am Eshara Starshade... Long have I waited to speak with you, and now you are here."
Dayne smiles but taken slighly aback by the girls manner, her breasts pulling tightly at her bodice as she arches her back and tilts her head, allowing her thick mane of golden hair to cascade over a shoulder. Whore. Is the first thing that pops into the Evenstar's mind, but she was there, and it would be a fine distraction. Besides, the thought of his Bastard in this girl's belly would sour Godsgrace's attitude somewhat when Starshade's lands and title did not fall to him upon her death, likely not far away.
Reaching a hand to cup the girl's cheek, Dayne leans close and plants the lightest of kisses on her lips and whispers,"I know who you are My Queen of Beauty. I have long awaited this moment as well..."
The Evenstar wasn't quite finished, but the girl suddenly broke into sobs and threw herself at him, showering him with wet, tear sodden kisses. Her wails were loud, and he thought to clamp a hand over her mouth, but was shaking and wailing so... "My Lord... I knew you would save me. The old woman told me so long ago that you were the one... Take me, My Lord. Take me from this place and away from that beast of a Lord. PLEASE! He beats me, and does such... *sob* Terrible things to me..."
Dayne strokes the girls hair reassuringly andsays,"Aye lass, all will be well. You'll come with me and Bastien will set things right. You'll see. Come. We'll get my Hound and we'll be gone before that pig of a Godsgrace knows a thing..."
The shadows sweeping in around Dayne are silent but for the scrape of steel and the scuff of Jace Godsgrace's heels. Men swarm out of rooms, alcoves and out into the yard below from the great double doors of the citadel. Clad in silvery-blue livery, there are too many to count at a glance, but a glance is all Dayne needs to know they are all armed to the teeth.
Thrusting the girl behind himself, Dayne jerks his dagger from its sheath on his hip and sneers, placing himself between the armed men and the girl. The click of a hammer on a pistol stops him from launching himself at Godsgrace, but it did not silence him,"You'll burn for this, craven. You think to bear steel against me and not go unpunished? Bastien will have you flayed for this."
Godsgrace's smile is painted with contempt as he speaks,"I think not, boy. I think your brother will have his hands full soon enough. And from now on, you may adress me as Lord Reaver Jace Godsgrace. A nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Dayne spits and curses them, but as they close he has no choice but to lower his dagger. Some twelve to one they have him on the wall, with a dozen more below, all armed with swords and at least one with a pistol.
"Cowards..! Is all he has time to roar before the first blow lands to his face. The world becomes a haze of pain and burning fury, but through it he hears the wails of the girl...
**
"You're mad Godsgrace.... I've eaten your salt... and you've violated my guestright. Cursed by Gods and Men alike you are." It was hard for Dayne to speak through lips smashed into pulp and his brain refuses to hold still, but he continues to spit obscenities as they haul him to feet. One eye is swollen almost shut, his nose has been broken and at least one tooth was chipped.
Snatching one of Dayne's braids, Godsgrace pulls him close, leaning in to leer in his face,"Keep your threats, Dayne. You are yet valuable to me. If you conduct yourself proper-like, maybe I shall let you live in the Great Tower once the Seastone Palace is mine."
Snarling, the traitor Lord thrusts Dayne to his knees and turns, barking orders at his Captain of the Guards,"Have him thrown in one of the Black Cells. DO NOT let him out of your sight, understood?"
The man nods quickly and Godsgrace turns on his heel to stride off down the hall, his grossly fat body swaying beneath the great orange and black cloak draping his shoulders. The sight made Dayne sick.
A sword prodding him in the middle of his back starts him moving, and soon he is lost amid the twists and turns of Sunspear, though he knows they are heading down, ever downward into the bowels of the great citadel. The bowels, he thought. Fitting for the smell was that of a privy.
Dayne glances uyp at a torch, set in an iron sconce. No electricity this low? He wonders numbly. The blows to his head had numbed his wits, and his senses seemed wrapped in wool.
Coughing lightly, he lurches into the wall, scraping his face against the stone and leaning down to retch uncontrollably. A familiar roar reaches his ears, but all he can do is retch, and retch and retch...
When his stomach has emptied itself Dayne raises his eyes to a scene of carnage. The half-dozen guards that Godsgrace had sent with him were scattered about the hall, and Caval the Warhound sweeps among them, a red-rain flying from his longsword. A few of the guards tried to fight, but the old Hound cut and spun, the silvered blade of his longsword flicking in, out, always finding purchase against flesh or bone.
The rest of the guards, seeing the demon that has fallen upon them turn to flee, but the Hound is then upon them. Showing no mercy, he hamstrings the first and plunges his blade through the back of the second. The final guard is almost to a set of large doors when the Hound bears him down, dropping his longsword and jerking a dagger from his sheath. Sawing viciously at the man's throat, Caval rears back his head and howls like the beast from which he takes his name, the sound grief and rage-filled at once as the blood gushes from the terrible wound to his enemies throat and out, over his hands.
The entire time, Dayne simply stares, dumbfounded and befuddled. When the Hound rises, drenched in his foes blood and a wild look on his grizzled face, Dayne chuckles softly and weaves on his feet before pitching forward awkwardly onto his face.
The world is soon dark, and for awhile, nothing matters but that warm, soft blackness, and the throbbing agony of his head.
He comes...