Studying and Strangling

Dark Citadel - Library
The walls are filled with books and scrolls documenting all that the Church has learnt or acquired over time. Ladders run along the three main walls with wheels to move them to the required position.

There are several tables scattered throughout the room, each with a clean-burning lantern and a few candles. A small fire and a brass chimney stack are in the center of the room, keeping the chamber far warmer than comfortable for most.

Contents:
Sindri
Obvious exits:
Out

[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Daytime on Monday, Day 9 of January.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.

Real time is: 20:24:16 MDT on Sun Jan 24 2010.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
A sea of books as far as the eye can view, but here and there are scattered islands that bob between the walls: priests and others of the Citadel move about, searching the Church's vast collection of knowledge and memories.

In one corner of this quiet room, a girl sits at a table, and one hand holds a reed pen. Just like the rest of this Holy Place, the library is fairly dimly lit, and Tasnim squints, stooping a little to see better in the candles' illumation. A scroll is spread out before her upon the wooden surface, and the top corners are held down by two books.

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri can't speak, making the library a logical place to be, indeed, he isn't here for the literature, but maps drawn by more reputable corsairs, and he's dutifully copying them to his own parchments, with out light, least some one decides to take notice of him, or perhaps, he's reassuring him self, he isn't of Umbar blood, and he has every right to talk back to Mara.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
Something gives the other pause, and Tasnim frowns, reaching across her table to grab one of the books. The ink is pushed to the side, and the stylus put down as she begins to flip through the pages. But as the scribe does this, her raised dark eyes catch sight of something beyond the leaves of the old text. Trading book for candle, Tasnim stands slowly, carefully so as to not spill the ink bottle as she takes up one of her candles. "Here," she says, quietly drawing nigh to where Sindri sits copying his notes. "The glow of a candle will make your studies easier." The hand moves downward, to place the flaming stick upon the table top.

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri seems to be quite capable of copying the bold stroke lines with out a candle, and he waves it off, of course, at this distance, Tasnim can easily see what he's copying, as many maps of the coastal regions leading past the Gondorian patrolled waters, and notably, each map seems to contain the fabled Gray Havens..

[Tasnim(#16424)]
Tasnim quirks a brow at the man's refusal, but says naught for the time being instead she stands slightly to the side of him, not too close to intrude but enough to observe a few details of the maps. "The Grey Havens," she notes, "they are far..." She appears thougtful, ere glancing back to her own table. "Do you mind if I join you? Or would you prefer to work alone?"

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri's fingers move to show the empty space, he doesn't need much, he's not laying out book after book, he can roll the maps up as he finishes. Most of the maps he seems to be comparing, as if trying to make a general map based upon the most accurate or reputable.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
Nodding her understanding of the gesture, the girl turns toward her workplace, gathering up her things in order to relocate them. The ink is recorked for ease of transporting, and the scroll is checked to be dry before that is picked up as well.

It does not take her long to do this, and soon everything has found a spot upon the other tabletop. Uncorking the bottle again, Tasnim resumes writing, stopping now and then in thought. Suddenly she gives an odd look, looking at something over Sindri's shoulder.

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri's eyes catch Tasnim, and he looks puzzled, unsure if she's alarmed, or if she suddenly forgot some thing of import, so he slowly turns to look, maybe some one important is approaching instead?

[Tasnim(#16424)]
Indeed, though by the looks of this approacher, trouble follows his every step from behind comes one of the book-browsing priests, and it is more the man's expression that causes Tasnim to frown. "Hmm," the priest comes to a stop not too far from their table, and the smirk he wears is unpleasant as he peers, feigning innocent curiousity toward Sindri. "So, you are the one who almost got his heart cut out?" He cups a hand to his ear for the answer whose sound he knows will never come. But from across the table he does get a quick reply: Tasnim's frown turns into a dark glower as she watches the priest with disdain.

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri moves from a seated position, to standing one, and a hand going to grab the man's throat, to squeeze enough to cut off his air, and he seems to have no intention of letting up, instead, he smiles, and moves to lick the priest's cheek, as if to taste fear in his flesh.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
"What is that? I can't hear y--" the man cuts off however as the hand blots off air to his lungs, and he makes an odd half-coughing noise. The look of panic on the priest's face contorts into one of utter disgust as he realizes what Sindri is about to do, and he attempts to pull away. His robes arm flies out to grab for a heavy book on a nearby shelve, and he blindly swings it at the attacker--not a blow to do damage, but more of a move to separate himself from the other's grasp.

The scraping of a chair heralds Tasnim's rising, and she stands rooted to the spot in stunned silence. "Stop," she says roughly to Sindri, moving swiftly forward to put a soft but firm hand on his shoulder. "You have gotten in enough trouble lately, I would think..." But her voice grows a little in anger as her eyes shift to regard the priest. "Serpent tongue," she scowls, "go occupy yourself with putting that tongue to fitting use in your cursings in the Dark Speech."

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri's eyes flash again when the book hits his arm and he drops the priest, and takes one step towards him, to encourage him to make him self scarce, before going back to his seat, a bottle removed from his vestments, and more grog being sipped.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
The released man splutters for a moment, fingering his throat and eyeing the pair, the darker glare flashed in Sindri's direction. But there is apparent fear as well, and instead the priest hastily removes himself from the scene, even forgetting to place the book back as he hurries out of the room.

The scribe gives a sigh, watching after the retreating figure before she retakes her seat. For a moment she is quiet, gaze averted to her notes, but eyes distant, not really seeing what is there. Then she looks back up, over the table to the other. "Your plans are going well, I hope?" she asks, hoping the push the disturbance of the priest out of Sindri's mind, at least for the time. "It is a long way to travel, from here, if the Havens are what you seek."

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri moves to take his quill again, and scratch away on a piece of parchment he has no use for at the moment. "A rotation of the moon." A month he means, of course.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
"Ahh," nods the scribe, indicating she takes the meaning. She fingers her own pen idly. "Well, whatever plans you finish in the end, I wish you luck with them. Many of our people however do not know the place of which you seek...the elven folk are but myths to most. Focusing on history, and with a brother as a scholar, I have only heard about them in passing. If you are to bring a crew, as you said days ago to me, then you will need to be able to convince many of their existence." She grins. "But perhaps you can just as readily convince them to come along with the prospect of booty. Surely these light-loving fools have plenty of jewels, and other treasures."

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri's quill flashes, and he shows her more words. "Also, Elven maidens, with which to plunge their manhood in." he writes, which is likely, even more motivational then treasure, for damnation will cause them to take perverse delight in torturing and raping the Elven maidens, it is upon damnation that Sindri depends.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
"It would be better to eliminate them all, and be done with them," Tasnim says, reading the newly written statement. "But desire clouds judgement. If they take the maidens for their own pleasures, then will there not be a continuation of the light-lovers' race, though they would be of a mixed breed?" The scribe lowers her eyes back to her writing.

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri lightly cants his head, and twists the parchment again, and writes two bold letters. "No." As for why it is no, he hasn't said, he just says it shall be so, just like he decided he'd consider killing a priest for insulting him.

[Tasnim(#16424)]
The answer yields no reply from the girl, who looks past it at the writer's face. "You are upset from the other day," she acknowledges. "I am sorry," the scribe gestures to his work. "I will leave you in peace to finish. I think I am done with mine," Tasnim dips her stylus into the ink to add a few more words to the end of the scroll. "I must bring this to Lady Mara for her to approve..." Tasnim trails off, not certain if what she says will cause her companion to feel more uncomfortable regarding the reason he is forbidden to speak. Gathering up the scroll, books, and other items, the girl rises. "Farewell for now." Brushing quietly past the man, she heads toward the exit.

[Sindri(#16447)] Sindri lightly cants his head at this, and a hand goes to wave at her as she leaves, obviously, he can't respond verbally, so he lightly lays his hands in his lap, and goes back to intently studying the maps.