A Red Dawn, (Open to All)

[Jaghatai Khan]

Jaghatai Mensha Khaine wrapped his fur cloak tighter around his body. The North winds were picking up, and the first snows of winter were already falling. Of course it was still fall in other countries, but Ghalend was known for its freezing winters.
The mans gaze drifted off into the sky. The bright sun was hidden behind dark clouds, and there wasn’t a crow in sight.
“Odd.” He mumbled to himself. “The crows should be flying south for the winter around this time.” He said, turning around checking the sky for any signs of the birds. Jaghatai kneeled down, sweeping his fingers across the frigid landscape, before raising them back into the air.
He stuffed his hand back inside his cloak and moved back towards his steed. The horse standing partially on a rock, its front legs raised so it looked like some sort of statue. Its muscles were taunt, and its earth-toned mane was now covered in frost. Jaghatai put two fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle. The horse jumped from its perch and trotted to the man. Jaghatai mounted the horse with the ease that can only come from a lifetime of training, and ran his stiff fingers through it’s mane.
“Rynn, is there something in the air that I can’t sense?” He asked the beast. It shook its head wildly, as if responding to his question. The man snapped on the reins, and Rynn took off in the direction of the village. Something strange was happening, and Jaghatai was sure that the Shamans of the village would have the answers he was looking for.

[L337g33k]

OOC: Don't get bored and run away! An adventure! Yes, an adventure!

IC:
As if waiting for his cue, the conversation that would probably be worth hearing the most began to lift through the air as he drew nearer. A group of well-armored knights, clinking and chinking noisily as they sat rigidly upon equally-armored horses, were talking to a muscular woman in leather and furs. Her face was grim and her lips were set in a thin line of thinly-veiled annoyance, and in her eyes burned a sort of anger that appeared to be slowly seeping across the other features of her face. She gazed up at them, her voice clear now as Jaghatai drew nearer.

"Over there." Her voice was curt and sharp, and as soon as she said it she drew in a sharp whistle of air through her teeth. It sounded to be an attempt to suppress her evident irritation. "But it isn't yours."

Her head snapped in Jaghatai's direction, and her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to see who it was. She was silent for a moment, and then she turned her head sharply back to the knights. "Wait here," she commanded. It was a like a snap from a dog, and they withdrew with dark looks on their faces that looked quite menacing beneath the silvery light that early winter usually takes on.

She approached Jaghatai, a stiffness to her walk. "Here," she said, her arm coming out in a sharp gesture much like the way she had pointed for the knights. In her gloved hand was a folded piece of parchment, wrinkled from the pressure of her fingers. "You can read it if you like, but I'll bet you anything that it won't have a thing worth your time." She scowled at the paper, then turned to the knights, who had slowly and hesitantly made their way closer.

There were probably about five of them, all dressed in heavy plate armor that shined in the twinkling sun. They looked bulky and unable to move all that well, and the visors of their helmets were clipped upwards so that they could see Jaghatai's face. They exchanged glances and then the obvious leader led his horse a step forward. Beneath the armor Jaghatai would be able to realize that it was one of the many horses bred in Chelra.

"Ah, yes, my good man - you must be the leader of this tribe we have heard so much about. Please, if we may have but a small word with you, we would like to make a peaceful suggestion that could be worked to both of our kingdom's ends. Here in Chelra there is no true king, but we have something here that would come of use to us. Of course, this fine lady declairs that you have no need for it, and so we would simply like to relieve it of you. If you would be so kind as to have but just a small word with us, we would like to make a... deal."

The woman snorted, obviously not very impressed with what this man had to say.

The man cleared his throat and then stood up straighter in an attempt to look more regal. "On behalf of our mighty king, the great and respected Edhar Olrun XXI, we would like to inquire as to something on the land that is said to belong to your clan. We simply ask that we have a small audience with the one in authority here, and we will quickly make arrangements and then be on our way. I -"

"On with it!" The woman, having grown impatient by now, snapped these words at them again like a dog on the end of a chain. Her teeth even snapped with a resounding noise afterwards, which could probably be heard through the first breezes of winter. "Let's just kill them, My Lord," she said in a tone of anger and eagerness to Jaghatai, her eyes hard as agates. She eyed the somewhat startled leader of the group and said, "I want that one."

"Kill them?" came a voice that sounded rather bored and aging, "I don't particularly like that idea." It was a shaman of the village, garbed in furs for the oncoming chill, and he eyed the woman, then Jaghatai, and then the armor-clad men in turn with an indifferent expression on his face. He stood a ways behind the two younger Ghalends, and the woman looked a great deal more tense when she noticed the familiar, balding and bearded man. "My Lord Jaghatai," he said after a moment, "are you going to hear them out? I'd like to know what comes of this."

[Jaghatai Khan]

Jaghatai stepped forward, brushing past the Shaman gracefully. The cadre of armored knights stood perfectly still, no doubt from the years of training. The man in the lead jumped off his horse, keeping his gaze on the ferocious young woman, but eventually moving towards Jaghatai.
“So you are the chieftain? That is good. Like I said before, I have a proposition that could be very beneficial to both of our peoples.” He said in a commanding tone. Jaghatai nodded his head slightly, feigning an interest in whatever this outsider was talking about.
Jaghatai opened the piece of parchment Mariana had handed him and began to read slowly through it. He had never been good at reading, but the elders had assured him as a boy it would be a useful skill to have.
Several moments later, he finished the text and rolled the paper back. “What is this?” He said with ferocity in his voice. The knight faltered momentarily, but regained his composure and stood tall once again.
“It is a decree by Lord Edhar Olrun XXI, saying that…” Jaghatai cut him off mid sentence, screaming “I know what it says, but do you honestly think you can just come into our home and scour our land?” The knight’s breathing increased greatly, and his hand began to move slowly to his sword.
“My Lord, we are not simply coming to take your land. We are offering you a deal. In exchange for the outlined section of your land, we will compensate you handsomely.” The man said. Jaghatai crushed the paper in his hand and tossed it to the snow. He was prepared to draw his blade, but a better idea came to mind. He calmed himself down, and spoke again. “As you can see, I am a bit aggravated by other matters, and it is possible that I cannot think clearly. So I have a proposition for you.” The man piped up slightly, his hand moving back to its normal position.
“I will further listen to your proposition at my home. On one condition.” The man puffed his chest out, his ego booming from taming these wild people, or so he thought.
“You will fight Mariana in hand to hand combat, and if you win, I will accept your deal. If you lose, then you return those horses to my people.” The chieftain said, a wry grin on his face. Though it was hidden behind his helmet, He was sure he could see the knight’s face pale as the faint stench of urine permeated the air. He turned to Mariana, making sure to receive a quick now of approval.

[L337g33k]

Mariana was laughing at this point as if the world had given her a great opening of opportunity and she was free to jump right into it.

The knight, with a huff and a clip of his visor down over his eyes, eyed them both sharply and in turn. He didn't seem to believe it. "But your most gracious clan-chief, we merely want the land around the stream that stands just a bit a ways down the -"

"Stream my ass," Mari snapped, her hand on the hilt of her sword. "you want the gold in it. We have little need for gold here, but what makes you think we'll give you the pleasure of flooding our land with your filthy people to get it? You'll give us useless trinkets and things that you call wealth, but all we'll really be getting are a bunch of useless rubble invading and destroying our home. Challenge me or leave this clan alone! Run away to your most precious king!"

"You're a madman if you think that I would even attempt to challenge this rabid wom-"

"You would insult my clan chief? I would just as soon cut your throat, vile beast." Mari looked as if she wanted to spit on this man's armor, and the man withdrew somewhat. There was the sound of metal against the sheath at her hip, and the entire group took a step back.

"Very well, I will accept this challenge," he said, shaking his leg and shuddering as he once again remembered the strong smell of urine, "but I will not kill this ... woman. Let her defeat be remembered, and let her remember my name when this is all done. We shall duel - with swords. The honorable way, savage, for there will be no cheating."

Mari gave a low growl at the man, but other than that his insult hung in the air. After a long moment he seemed to remember himself and unsheathed his equally large sword. "Let us do battle, beastly woman, and we shall see who stands the victor."

"We have no time for this," the shaman cut in, and the entire group turned to look at him for a moment. "End the words and fight her or be gone. There are other matters that we must attend to. Gold or land is of no consequence when there are more pressing things at hand."

With a little bit of space and a few more minutes, the two had at it. There were no more words and no more empty threats, but instead the sound of metal against metal in the cold winter air. Mari, as always, fought with the same heat and aggression that she always did, and with great swoops and archs of her shimmering sword she easily kept up with the human knight. He, encumbered as he was, found it hard to keep up with her. Sparks flew from the contact of their metal, but the Ghalend seemed much stronger than the knight, who, now that the battle progressed, appeared to be more flowery speach than real action.

Before long Mari had swung her sword straight into the metal of the man's plumed helmet, and a great dent appeared there. He fell to the ground, twitching, and after a while he was still. Mari bent down and opened his helmet, gave him a grim expression, and then stood back up again. "He isn't dead," she announced rather smugly, "but he isn't in the condition to surrender his horses, so I'll do it for him."

"But gracious lady," protested a knight, "How will we leave this place? These are our horses, rightfully bought from the people of Ghalend." His voice was young and sounded like a whimper. He eyed Mari warily. "We simply wanted to conduct business with the great Jaghatai Kahn, not insult him or his people. We simply wanted to inquire as to the standing of the stream in the northern mountain valley, for there have been reports that gold has been quite rife within its currents."

"And I say that you can forget the gold. Whether it means anything to us or not, the land does. Lord Jaghatai has requested that the horses be surrendered, so do as he says or face the dire consequences." Her top lip went up in a sort of snarl.

The shaman cleared his throat. "The sooner that they leave the better. I don't quite like their presence."

[Jaghatai Khan]

After finding an escort for the stranded knights, and another to lead the horses home, Jaghatai could finally get back to business with the Shaman. The two were now positioned on a rocky over crop that looked down on not only the village, but the land around it for many miles.
“You have no doubt felt the stirrings to the North.” The shaman said. Kerrick Wind-Eye, as he was called, was the eldest Shaman in all the White Scars, and Jaghatai valued his opinion above almost any other in the village.
“It would be difficult not to. The elk herds have moved away, the crows have gone into hiding somewhere, and even the water of the streams feels tainted. It seems Lady Chaos has turned an eye to us.” The two fell silent for a moment.
Kerrick pulled off his hood, revealing two eyeless sockets. That had always unnerved Jaghatai, his innate fear of magic being amplified by the presence of this strange Magi. “It would seem that something is attempting to gain a foothold in the Northern stretches.” The Shaman said, pointing a wrinkled hand at the land to the North. A shadow seemed to be covering it constantly.
“What do you mean?” The chieftain asked. “Our fellow tribes have reported entire packs of roaming giants being slain, their bodies left un-looted and untouched. There have also been rumors that keeps are being constructed around the choke points into the Northern Mountains. It looks as if someone doesn’t want any visitors.” The Shaman said, folding his wrinkled hands into his robe.
“Then I suggest we move quickly.” Jaghatai suggested. The Shamans head turned slightly towards him. “And do what?” He asked. “We know not what we face, or even if it is truly an enemy. There is no need for haste.” The Chieftain nodded slowly. As usual, Kerrick was probably right.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t investigate.” He said suddenly. Jaghatai piped up with that thought, and a grin moved across his face. “Then I better get to rounding up some warriors.”

[Falmond]

Falmond didn't know why he had came here, it was miserable and bitter cold. He wrapped his colorful mantle tighter around his thin frame as a few more people gathered around him, eager to see the show. Falmond laughed, he couldn't keep the people waiting. With a great flourish he stood up, his cloak fluttering in the harsh wind.

"Do you wish to see the skill of the great Falmond?" he cried, a few people in the crowd muttered but for the most part remained transfixed, he produced two, short, wooden swords from under his cloak, "Then challange me, and you will see a warrior far greater then any you've encountered before!" he waved the feaux weapons excitedly. A giant of a man stepped forward, from the look in his eyes he thought this was going to be an easy fight. Falmond merely smiled widly and offered the hilt of the wooden sword to the man, who accepted it and took a few practice swings.

The arch of people fanned out, creating a sort of arena for the battle to be held. Falmond gestured for the crowd to be quiet then lifted his sword into a ready position, his opponent did the same. With a great yell Falmond charged, leaping into the air and pointing the tip of the sword at the man, as expected, the man easily brushed the attack away. Falmond extended his foot as he sailed through the air, catching the man at the knee Falmond hooked his foot around the man's leg. The giant fell to the ground with an earth-shaking power. Falmond grinned and shot out the wooden blade, turning it so the flat of the blade struck the man in the small of his back. The giant howled in pain and Falmond threw up his hands.

"Now you see, even your biggest warriors cannot hope to defeat me! Now, who wants to give me a real challenge?" he yelled, smiling as a few coins clattered across the ground to rest at his feet, today might be good for Falmond after all.

[L337g33k]

Mari was laughing as the giant fell, along with many of the others of the group. There was a silence as the man asked for a real challenge, but people seemed to be turning it around in their minds rather than offering right away. People puffed fog into the air as they thought it over, and after a moment Mari spoke.

"What do you look for in these lands, outsider? Certainly you haven't come to test your strength in battle? You don't look much like a warrior to me."

She tilted her head to the side a bit, regarding him with pursed lips. Her eyes flickered dangerously. "Do you look to prove your worth here? In Ghalend we don't take kindly to intruders... unless you prove that your presence isn't a burden." She crouched then, resting her arms on her legs. Her eyes narrowed somewhat. "Tell me - what's your business here?"

[Jaghatai Khan]

Jaghatai stepped forward, the people in the circle moving to the side as he stepped into the crowd. Right as he moved in a position to watch the spectacle, a giant man hit the ground with a thud. A small man in a brightly colored cloak shot through the air, spinning on his heel and thrusting a wooden sword into the man's spine. The man howled with pain before slowly rising to his feet.
"Now you see, even your biggest warriors cannot hope to defeat me! Now, who wants to give me a real challenge?" The man said, his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out. Jaghatai stepped forward, brandishing the White Scar and bowing low.
"Outlander, I will accept your challenge on one condition." He said, never moving his gaze from the man. "If you lose, you must repay by offering me one favor of my choosing. And If I lose, then I extend the same offer to you. Do you agree, or will you wait for another "real challenger"?

[Falmond]

Falmond looked to the woman, he smiled.

"Ah but mi'lady, this is my business, I make money by entertaining others." he said, gesturing at the massive man who was now rubbing his back sheepishly. Falmond watched casually as a man cut through the circle of people, brandishing a large sword.

"Outlander, I will accept your challenge on one condition." He said, never moving his gaze from Falmond. "If you lose, you must repay by offering me one favor of my choosing. And If I lose, then I extend the same offer to you. Do you agree, or will you wait for another 'real challenger'?" Falmond smiled, now amused.

"Of course I will take your offer, but if you're going to use that piece of junk, then I'm going to use this one." He said, brandishing his dagger. He wiggled his eyebrows and walked around the perimeter of the circle, hand outstretched, "Perhaps my audience would like a cut of the deal, too, eh? C'mon then, who wants to take a bet?" Several bystanders plunked down a few coins, the majority of them placing their bets on Falmond after seeing what he did to his last opponent. Falmond moved towards the interior of the circle.

"If all are done betting, I can get down to completly embarrassing this fascinating fellow here." He said with a smile, waving his dagger. He thrust the weapon in front of him, point aimed at his opponents throat. With an expression of mock detirmination he yelled, "Have at you!"

[L337g33k]

OOC: This is, I believe, for sheer entertainment, so I'm going to let you guys loose. However, if you would prefer, I could post combat rules sooner or later, that way people, in the future, don't swing swords at you guys and assume they're going to win no matter what. I know that you know better than that, so I'm not going to worry about it. Go ahead and have fun. Also - apologies for the shortness of this post.

Ok, I'm finished spamming this thread now.

IC:
Mari, looking over at Jaghatai, raised a brow in silent query. However, she seemed very amused by this turn of events and threw down her money. Of course, she voted on Jaghatai, for Mari was completely loyal to her chieftain, and even in such events she would not stray from her leader. She seemed not to care, however, and parted with whole pouch of gold without even any hesitation. If she lost it - then it would be worth it.

[Jaghatai Khan]

Jaghatai stepped forward, White Scar at the ready. The broadsword glowed with an eerie inner light as he moved closer to the garishly dressed opponent. He stepped forward quickly, and the man stepped back. Well that’s good, at least the man knew what he was doing. He began to move in a slow circle, one foot stepping over the other, as the man did the same.
Jaghatai jumped forward, making a few weak thrusts that were easily parried by man. Good, that’s what he wanted. The man had at least minor skills in fighting. Jaghatai stepped forward again, his swing coming down hard, and the man backtracked quickly, the blade narrowly missing the folds of his bright cloak.
This was going well, Jaghatai needed these kinds of warriors in the fight that would come. And hopefully the man would see that this fight was for more than pride.

[Falmond]

Falmond blocked the simple manuvers, his opponent seemed to be watching for something, what it was, Falmond could not tell. Falmond was tired of being on the defensive, he raised the dagger then sprinted at the man, with a yell he lept, but he did not outstretch his weapon. Falmond performed a front flip, landing gracefully behind his opponent and turning quickly on heel, he flicked his wrist, sending the dagger sailing. The man sidestepped, causing the dagger to sail past his ear and impale itself into the ground nearby. Falmond smiled.

"Blades aren't my only weapons." He said, snapping his fingers. Through slight of hands Falmond caused a match concealed near his wrist to spring to his fingers and ignite, creating the appearance that he had made fire from his finger tips. With a flourish of his other hand, Falmond brought a small, hidden vial to his lips, broke it open, and sucked the contents out, holding the liguid in his mouth. He blew on the flame, causing the whiskey in his mouth to spray out, the effect was spectacular. Fire fanned out in front of his face, red hot flames danced wildly in the air. Falmond could hear a few people gasp. He began to move closer to his opponent.

"You must be cold, friend, let me warm you up." He said, producing a bottle of alcohol and putting it to his lips.

[Jaghatai Khan]

Jaghatai stepped back at the spectacle. Red-hot flames danced through the air, and an audible gasp escaped the crowd. They parted for a moment, revealing the mans smiling face.

"You must be cold, friend, let me warm you up." As he raised a bottle to his lip. In taking a mouthful of it, he spat it out, moving through the match and igniting the air all around him. Jaghatai could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and then burn off. He let out a ferocious growl as a second wave of fire shot towards him. He dodged this one, making a tight roll to the side before coming up quick. The man was still exhaling the fire, and his eyes were closed.

Jaghatai jumped forward, with his free hand he grabbed the bottle in the mans hand, crushing it and sending shards of glass flying. His sword came out wide, but then stopped. With a quick change of motion, Jaghatais head shot forward, his skull smashing into the mans face and sending him backwards.

“Gwahaha! Many thanks, it was a bit chilly!” he said as he resumed his charge.

[Falmond]

Falmond reeled back as his face met sudden resistance from the man's head. He put a hand up to his his nose and drew it away to reveal a streak of crimson.

"Ah! Nice shot, mate!" Falmond exclaimed, a slight grimace on his face, "But I've got one more trick up my sleeve." Falmond threw up his hands, he smacked them together. A brilliant flash was produced, coupled with a terrifying bang. When the crowd's vision cleared, Falmond was no where to be seen. Suddenly there was a great yell and a multicolored blur could be seen sailing towards the man. Time slowed down for Falmond, one strike to the back of the man's neck, where skull met spine, and it would be all over. It suddenly occured to Falmond however, that the man was looking for fighters, a possible job opportunity for Falmond. He had made up his mind.

Falmond shifted his body weight, he flew towards the man, but he did not it him. Instead, Falmond's hand hurtled past his opponent, his stomach caught on the man's shoulder and Falmond was sent tumbling head over heels. A sharp, burning sensation could suddenly be felt on Falmond's right biscep, he rolled to a stop on the ground and lifted his cloak to reveal a crimson line drawn upon his arm.

"Looks like you got me, mate."

[Jaghatai Khan]

Jaghatai was stunned. Not by the blinding flash or the thunderous roar, but by what the man had just done. Instead of landing a clean strike with his dagger, the man had shifted his weight and went for a subdual blow.

Why didn't he just finish him off?

As the man lay there, it came to Jaghatai. Falmond had a wry grin on his face, and it was directed at himself. Jaghatai stepped forward, his sword still laying in his left hand. As he inched closer, the crowd let out a gasp. Falmond had already surrendered, was the chieftain really going to slay him?

Jaghatai was now nearly on top of him, but he did not raise his sword. His hand shot out, meeting the young man's own and hoisting him easily to his feet. Jaghatai let out a huge smile and said,

"How bout we call it a draw?"