by The Kingpin » Sat May 05, 2012 7:17 pm
It wasn't long until Septimus, Jiier and Desrium were led into the large throne room, the tall chamber having many narrow windows near the ceiling, letting in air but keeping it cool, the centre of the throne room occupied by a large fireplace, upon which a grill was placed to keep anything from accidentally falling into the fire. on the other end of the chamber, on a very low-set throne made of what looked like ivory, sat an elf in robes that seemed almost too warm for a desert climate. His long platinum blonde hair contrasted sharply with the dark skin, and glowing blue eyes stared intensely at the newcomers, the glow almost bright enough to match Septimus's own cyan gaze. his finely trimmed beard was only as wide as edges of his mouth, and long enough for a man to wrap a full hand around it. it extended upwards, linking to an equally well trimmed mustache. Septimus could sense this elf was wise. Easily the wisest being in the room at that moment, with the possible exception of Jiier, though Septimus hadn't yet truly seen how wise or experienced Jiier was, and had chosen not to disrespect him with the invasive action of reading his mind to find out. The throne upon which the ruler was perched was barely more than a foot off the ground, and wide, meant to be sat on cross-legged. intricate carvings could be seen decorating the throne, with some unknown script decorating the back of the throne, arcing over the leader's head. To either side were rows of long rectangular cushions, decorated with hues of red, black, white and blue, forming intricate, exotic designs. on the floor beneath these cushions were carpets decorated similarly, though the patterns were not quite as condensed, being a bit more gentle on the eyes. A few other elves, also dressed in more noble attire than the guards and the occasional servant that could be seen wandering the fortress, sat on the carpet with their backs against the cushions, some of the extra, stray cushions being used as arm rests by those present. The apparent leader of the elves sipped a strong smelling drink from a small cup, held between two of his fingers and supported by a third from below. It surprised Septimus to see any drink consumed in such small quantities. In other settlements occupied by men or elves, their mugs, cups or glasses tended to be large, sometimes too large to be held with one hand. The scent of the drink was also intriguing. The Dragon had never once smelled anything like it. It was rich, earthy and pleasant, having a mildly sweet scent to it in addition to the odd, herb-like scent that was blended into it. As they approached, the Commander of the guard spoke to the leader, their language somewhat musical, flowing in a way that Dragon and human languages did not. the guard nodded to the ruler, before stepping aside. "You....Come from beyond the sands. The first...in many millennia" said the leader slowly, his tone calm, his pace deliberate. "Few....would risk braving the desert to get here...fewer still succeed. There must be a good reason for you to take such risks. Especially in spite of the dust storm that struck today" he added interestedly as he shifted on his throne, reaching for a kettle on a small fire to his left, placed in what looked like a portable fireplace. lifting the kettle off the fire, he refilled his small cup, or mug, if it could be called that. A rich brown coloured liquid poured from it, and Septimus could again smell the rich scent from before. Once the elf had finished serving himself and had set the kettle back on the fire, he looked up at the trio, rising to his feet, revealing himself to be nearly 7 feet tall, but of a notably slender build characteristic of elves. "My name is Antar Timeem. I am the Qa'id, or leader, of the Hukkamil-Birran. On behalf of my people, I Welcome you to the city of Thimeyra; Silverlake in Aster's common tongue" he said as he stood, walking towards the trio, extending a hand to them...
Andruil smirked at the antics of the two gryphons, patting Myrn on the back with a chuckle. "Cheer up, Myrn. No need to get your feathers ruffled over bouncy little Sulrana here" he said as he undid the reigns and bits on the Gryphons' necks and mouths, deciding not to remove the saddles so as to reduce the risk of theft, though removing the travelling equipment he had mounted on Myrn's back to make flight easier for her. He then moved to Thalion, repeating the gesture with the bit and reigns, the Hippogriff looking down indignantly at the two smaller gryphons, somewhat annoyed by the silliness of their actions, though choosing to ignore them. It was obvious their master preferred him anyway. Nothing else mattered. "Now, you three go feed, but don't be long" he said firmly, knowing the animals were intelligent enough to understand him. "We're leaving at dawn" he added, Thalion eyeing the half-elf seriously for a few moments before turning towards the nearest clearing and taking to the sky, as Andruil went to set up the bed rolls, leaving it to Vix and Tetto to get a fireplace going...
Meanwhile, back in the city of Tristan, the piercing screech of a Griffin hawk could be heard as the bird flew towards one of the mail towers, delivering a message from Valenhad. The bird swooped down and into the room at the top of the tower, splaying its wings widely as it slowed its dive, landing on one of the many perches within, awaiting a keeper to retrieve its letter...
"Ah yes, organised chaos. the sign of a clever but ever-busy mind. To the perpetrator, a carefully woven web of belongings and intrigue, but to the bystander? Madness!"
–William Beckett, Lore of Leyuna RPG