Elendor
The Pretender Chronicles: Foreigner-baiting
Ceredir and Barjad exchange some ... opinions.
Sort Date: no date set
Location: Farsidet Tower
IC Time: Afternoon
Description: _-' Tower Corridor `-_
You stand in a small hallway-ish entrance to the Farside Tower. The room is quite narrow, yet long, further on leading into the heart of the tower itself. Along the walls are paintings and emblams of the Farside Tower, all gathered from around the city to be added to this beautiful collection. All in all, the corridor is quite the normal one, but for one exception.. in the far corner of the room is a trap door, square in size, but in the middle of the door are bars. This trap door leads down into a small prison in which the Lord has successfully installed himself. At all hours, a guard stands beside this door, at arms and ready for any jailbreak. (Look Trap Door)
You can head further into the Welcoming Hall of the Farside, or walk back out to the tower courtyard.
Obvious exits:
Trap Door, Welcoming Hall, and Out
[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Daytime on Mersday, Day 1 of March.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 10:39:38 MDT on Fri Jun 12 2009.
IC year: 3047
It is mid-afternoon, and the cooler days of what passes for 'winter' here have given way to more stormy weather. Outside the wind whips up the dust into cruel little swirls that dance this way and that before turning to torment the faces and eyes of the unwary. Scarce wonder that some might choose to be inside the Tower rather than out.
Even some who do not belong here. Barjad has presumably been delivering some message or other, for he hands a scroll over to one of the guards on duty, along with a set of murmured instructions. Errand done, he lingers, and his gaze slips uncomfortably toward that bare-looking trapdoor in the floor. Dark brows draw down in a frown.
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"Looking to visit Farside's curiosities?" The voice that has asked that question is masculine, behind Barjad by several paces, and accented with the tones of the Stonelanders. The questioner, in fact, is a pale-faced Stonelander man, dark haired and grey-eyed, though no guard accompanies him as he enters this corridor. Nor, for that matter, is he armed at the moment, though. Instead, Ceredir wears a belted linen tunic, trousers and boots, all nondescript.
Barjad turns, and stares with poorly concealed hostility. "It appears I did not have to look hard to find them. Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" he asks the other, one heavy brow lifting now. "Perhaps in your Stonelands, explaining the fate of your companion?"
[Ceredir(#1394)] "I do not recall your bending knee to Lord Alphros," Ceredir replies acidly. "And therefore, the question of my whereabouts and my business here or in Gondor is not one that I am obligated to answer. Unless, that is, you are here to swear allegiance to my lord?"
Barjad stiffens at that. "/I/ do not give oath to two Lords at once. For some of us, there is such a thing as honour. And I am oath-sworn to Eruphel of Seaward, as I would have thought you well aware, given your last .. message for her." His left shoulder twitches. "Is my face so easily forgot? That is good."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"No, I well know your face," Ceredir shrugs, "though you may be of little consequence to me. As for your implications that I am sworn to two Lords, little do you know of the workings of the politics of Gondor. But I will tell you this: I support the rightful King of Gondor and have broken no oaths. And many will follow in my footsteps. And then Umbar will have an ally in Gondor, not an enemy. If you can manage to accept that," he snorts.
For the blink of an eye, no more, Barjad's amber eyes tense, and his features are very still, denial frozen on them. Then he is shrugging it off. "Somehow I doubt your fellow Stonelanders will ever accept it," he remarks lightly. "Like that other wretch you brought in. Found some use for him yet? I hope he's not pent up down there," he indicates the floor with one scuffed boot, "those muscles will waste away."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"I did not say it would be easy, nor that a civil war in Gondor could be avoided," Ceredir says. His own eyes narrow slightly, perhaps in annoyance at Barjad's reaction, but he does not voice that. "Yet for every one like him.." He tilts his head toward the grating of the prison door, "there is one like me."
"It is up to Lord Alphros to determine his fate. Farside does not use slaves," he says proudly.
Barjad's cleft lips peel back from his teeth in a smile that is far from pleasant. "So I merely need to sit back and watch as you tear yourselves apart without the effort of me raising a blade against you? Good. I am sure Seaward will find other things to occupy itself."
Again he glances toward the iron-barred trapdoor, and remarks, softly, "A pity they do not. Putting a man to work is far less cruel than keeping him pent up in darkness until hunger and despair devour the flesh from his bones."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
At those words, Ceredir takes a menacing step to advance toward the Seaward man, but the Farside guard stationed by the trapdoor reacts almost instantly, his had going out to grab Ceredir's arm and stop him from actually getting close to Barjad.
"We will _not_ destroy ourselves," Ceredir growls. "You are foolish and short-sighted if you cannot see the truth of it."
He pulls back away from the guard, freeing his arm. "Lord Alphros has mercy. My countryman will not suffer that kind of death. He is a warrior and will be given a warrior's death."
The right side of Barjad's mouth pulls back a little further, and his scarred cheek creases - an expression suggesting amusement rather than anger. "Time will tell who has the right of it and who the wrong. But you are not in your own country now. Umbar's aims for your precious Stonelands are far from your own. You would do well to bear that in mind, man of two masters. A time will come when you have to choose between your loyalty to a man and your loyalty to your foolish dreams."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"I have chosen, Barjad of Seaward. My master is here, in this Tower. His dreams and mine are one and the same. It is you who are deceived, blinded by hatred," Ceredir snorts a reply. "And it is you who are out of your element. Why, in fact, are you in the Farside Tower at all? What is your business here?" he presses. And this time he steps forward again, but not so hastily as to make the guard reach out to stop him, though the man eyes him warily nonetheless.
That is answered by a snort. "Did the Lord Alphros appoint you his High Lieutenant and I missed it? My business here is a matter for Seaward and Farside - perhaps, if these fellows trust you, they will tell you." Barjad indicates one of the guards with a shrug, then looks Ceredir up and down. "I am glad to hear you will follow Lord Alphros, whose intent for your land I suspect differs somewhat from yours." That remark is made drily, and then Barjad starts to move off, hissing something in Ceredir's ear as he passes.
"I know that when a man chooses to hide his face, seldom is it mere skin colour or fate's marring. Are you sure whom you serve?"
Then he is gone.
[Ceredir(#1394)]
Ceredir's answer is a fist slamming out Barjad's way, but again the Farside guard is quick, grabbing the Master Scout by the shoulders and pulling him back and out of reach of Barjad's face before the Stonelander can do any harm.
"Go!" the guard commands in the tongue of Harad, speaking harshly toward Barjad. "Your business with this Tower is done--now go! Unless you wish me to call for my Captain and then you can expalin to him exactly what it is you are doing snooping around here!" he hisses angrily.
Ceredir, pulled out of the way and not understanding any of the native language, just stands angrily behind,watching.
Barjad blinks at Ceredir's anger, his lips twitching, but at the guards shout he turns, and retorts in Haradaic, "I did come here with a message. Your Captain should keep the Tower's animals under more control." Then he's out of the door, and treading heavily away.
You stand in a small hallway-ish entrance to the Farside Tower. The room is quite narrow, yet long, further on leading into the heart of the tower itself. Along the walls are paintings and emblams of the Farside Tower, all gathered from around the city to be added to this beautiful collection. All in all, the corridor is quite the normal one, but for one exception.. in the far corner of the room is a trap door, square in size, but in the middle of the door are bars. This trap door leads down into a small prison in which the Lord has successfully installed himself. At all hours, a guard stands beside this door, at arms and ready for any jailbreak. (Look Trap Door)
You can head further into the Welcoming Hall of the Farside, or walk back out to the tower courtyard.
Obvious exits:
Trap Door, Welcoming Hall, and Out
[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Daytime on Mersday, Day 1 of March.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 10:39:38 MDT on Fri Jun 12 2009.
IC year: 3047
It is mid-afternoon, and the cooler days of what passes for 'winter' here have given way to more stormy weather. Outside the wind whips up the dust into cruel little swirls that dance this way and that before turning to torment the faces and eyes of the unwary. Scarce wonder that some might choose to be inside the Tower rather than out.
Even some who do not belong here. Barjad has presumably been delivering some message or other, for he hands a scroll over to one of the guards on duty, along with a set of murmured instructions. Errand done, he lingers, and his gaze slips uncomfortably toward that bare-looking trapdoor in the floor. Dark brows draw down in a frown.
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"Looking to visit Farside's curiosities?" The voice that has asked that question is masculine, behind Barjad by several paces, and accented with the tones of the Stonelanders. The questioner, in fact, is a pale-faced Stonelander man, dark haired and grey-eyed, though no guard accompanies him as he enters this corridor. Nor, for that matter, is he armed at the moment, though. Instead, Ceredir wears a belted linen tunic, trousers and boots, all nondescript.
Barjad turns, and stares with poorly concealed hostility. "It appears I did not have to look hard to find them. Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" he asks the other, one heavy brow lifting now. "Perhaps in your Stonelands, explaining the fate of your companion?"
[Ceredir(#1394)] "I do not recall your bending knee to Lord Alphros," Ceredir replies acidly. "And therefore, the question of my whereabouts and my business here or in Gondor is not one that I am obligated to answer. Unless, that is, you are here to swear allegiance to my lord?"
Barjad stiffens at that. "/I/ do not give oath to two Lords at once. For some of us, there is such a thing as honour. And I am oath-sworn to Eruphel of Seaward, as I would have thought you well aware, given your last .. message for her." His left shoulder twitches. "Is my face so easily forgot? That is good."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"No, I well know your face," Ceredir shrugs, "though you may be of little consequence to me. As for your implications that I am sworn to two Lords, little do you know of the workings of the politics of Gondor. But I will tell you this: I support the rightful King of Gondor and have broken no oaths. And many will follow in my footsteps. And then Umbar will have an ally in Gondor, not an enemy. If you can manage to accept that," he snorts.
For the blink of an eye, no more, Barjad's amber eyes tense, and his features are very still, denial frozen on them. Then he is shrugging it off. "Somehow I doubt your fellow Stonelanders will ever accept it," he remarks lightly. "Like that other wretch you brought in. Found some use for him yet? I hope he's not pent up down there," he indicates the floor with one scuffed boot, "those muscles will waste away."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"I did not say it would be easy, nor that a civil war in Gondor could be avoided," Ceredir says. His own eyes narrow slightly, perhaps in annoyance at Barjad's reaction, but he does not voice that. "Yet for every one like him.." He tilts his head toward the grating of the prison door, "there is one like me."
"It is up to Lord Alphros to determine his fate. Farside does not use slaves," he says proudly.
Barjad's cleft lips peel back from his teeth in a smile that is far from pleasant. "So I merely need to sit back and watch as you tear yourselves apart without the effort of me raising a blade against you? Good. I am sure Seaward will find other things to occupy itself."
Again he glances toward the iron-barred trapdoor, and remarks, softly, "A pity they do not. Putting a man to work is far less cruel than keeping him pent up in darkness until hunger and despair devour the flesh from his bones."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
At those words, Ceredir takes a menacing step to advance toward the Seaward man, but the Farside guard stationed by the trapdoor reacts almost instantly, his had going out to grab Ceredir's arm and stop him from actually getting close to Barjad.
"We will _not_ destroy ourselves," Ceredir growls. "You are foolish and short-sighted if you cannot see the truth of it."
He pulls back away from the guard, freeing his arm. "Lord Alphros has mercy. My countryman will not suffer that kind of death. He is a warrior and will be given a warrior's death."
The right side of Barjad's mouth pulls back a little further, and his scarred cheek creases - an expression suggesting amusement rather than anger. "Time will tell who has the right of it and who the wrong. But you are not in your own country now. Umbar's aims for your precious Stonelands are far from your own. You would do well to bear that in mind, man of two masters. A time will come when you have to choose between your loyalty to a man and your loyalty to your foolish dreams."
[Ceredir(#1394)]
"I have chosen, Barjad of Seaward. My master is here, in this Tower. His dreams and mine are one and the same. It is you who are deceived, blinded by hatred," Ceredir snorts a reply. "And it is you who are out of your element. Why, in fact, are you in the Farside Tower at all? What is your business here?" he presses. And this time he steps forward again, but not so hastily as to make the guard reach out to stop him, though the man eyes him warily nonetheless.
That is answered by a snort. "Did the Lord Alphros appoint you his High Lieutenant and I missed it? My business here is a matter for Seaward and Farside - perhaps, if these fellows trust you, they will tell you." Barjad indicates one of the guards with a shrug, then looks Ceredir up and down. "I am glad to hear you will follow Lord Alphros, whose intent for your land I suspect differs somewhat from yours." That remark is made drily, and then Barjad starts to move off, hissing something in Ceredir's ear as he passes.
"I know that when a man chooses to hide his face, seldom is it mere skin colour or fate's marring. Are you sure whom you serve?"
Then he is gone.
[Ceredir(#1394)]
Ceredir's answer is a fist slamming out Barjad's way, but again the Farside guard is quick, grabbing the Master Scout by the shoulders and pulling him back and out of reach of Barjad's face before the Stonelander can do any harm.
"Go!" the guard commands in the tongue of Harad, speaking harshly toward Barjad. "Your business with this Tower is done--now go! Unless you wish me to call for my Captain and then you can expalin to him exactly what it is you are doing snooping around here!" he hisses angrily.
Ceredir, pulled out of the way and not understanding any of the native language, just stands angrily behind,watching.
Barjad blinks at Ceredir's anger, his lips twitching, but at the guards shout he turns, and retorts in Haradaic, "I did come here with a message. Your Captain should keep the Tower's animals under more control." Then he's out of the door, and treading heavily away.
Players: Barjad, Ceredir
Located in: Haradrim
