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Post by Malakbel on Jan 17, 2019 23:39:17 GMT
Alcohol was the refuge of a weak mind, he thought as he gazed at the tavern from the outside. The sign "Broken Stallion" was hanging just above the entrance and from within warm air and overly loud noises reached out to him through the cracks in the door, trying without any real strength to envelop him. Moments of weakness every now and then however didn't hurt anyone, he decided; and seconds later the doors were being pushed inwards by both his hands and he went inside. The sound of many voices speaking loudly at once, paired together with faint music in the background and the smell of both booze and sweat reached out to him in an instant. He was disgusted by most of it but just like it happened with strong drinks, you didn't chug them for the flavor. Thus, he was determined to tolerate it for the time being.
He made his way up to the bar where he found an empty barstool and sat on it. Soon enough, he had the attention of the bartender and with a few coins exchanging hands, began his quest to intoxication. It was quite a pleasant thing, just like every time he did it. When he was drunk he found everyone else to be so much... tolerable. He was having a good time, even if he was all by himself drinking, talking to no one and sulking alone with his thoughts. Unbeknownst to him however, and because being intoxicated certainly did a number on his perception he couldn't quite notice the group of men sitting at a table nearby, who had decided to make him the focus of their attention.
Words were exchanged, and a couple glances at well, but nothing happened. Eventually the Yuan-ti got up, tipsy as he was and made his way out even saying goodbye out loud to the lot of people not paying two bits of attention to him, something his sober self would never have done. The fine group of gentleman got up and followed him shortly thereafter. They were dressed in common clothes, with the judicious ammount of dirt that was the trademark of the common folk, uneducated and dangerous at worst, hardworking and earnest at best. One wrong turn in a street and he found himself lost walking down a dark alley when the group decided it was time.
Two hands on his back pushed him forward, but he managed to catch his balance by sheer chance, and with one hand on the wall he turned his face upwards to look at his assailants. No one that he knew, but the expression on their faces seemed to dictate otherwise.
"I've been meaning to get my hands on one of you, you filth" Said one of them, his skin color went beyond tanned and into black territory, his deep brown eyes set in anger, speaking through one missing teeth. He had no hair upon his head, shaved clean, and a single earring on the right ear. "But I never thought I'd see one of you lot here, the guards must've of been drunk of their asses to let you in, but I know what you are you monster"
He spat at the ground as the rest of the men slowly began to circle him. "My cousin used to work as a guide down in Chult, until one of your tribe of savages fell upon him and dragged him away. Your people like skinning and eating their victims alive, aye? Maybe we ought to do tha same to you... But we ain't savages here..."
A second man spoke then; not quite as tall as the first one to do so but broad enough to be taken into consideration. His skin was considerable more pale that his partner's, but his face was not so gracious. A couple teeth were missing, both his black moustache and beard were unkempt, and the receding hair line was no different; the start a generous belly could barely be seen under his shirt.
"Firsht wash the fuckin Orsh', now they are jusht letting everybody in... it'sh no wonder the lasht yearsh have been sho thrying with you fucking people makin things hard for the resht of ush"
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Post by Kralle on Jan 18, 2019 1:24:09 GMT
Of all the sights of the civilized world, the great cities were probably the most alien and difficult for Nakan to understand. Maybe it was the sheer number of inhabitants, thousands upon thousands of souls all living in a single place while his tribe had never numbered more than sixty. Or perhaps it was the idea of permanency, the sturdy buildings of masonry and timber safely tucked away behind towering walls of stone. For someone born of a nomadic people, the concept of “settling down” seemed very foreign.
But he tried not to dwell on those thoughts. He’d spent enough time in large cities over the past two years to slowly begin acclimating to the idea, though he still preferred being in the open rather than feeling caged in narrow alleys and busy streets.
Today was, so far, serving as an excellent example of that latter point. As he made his way down the crowded street, he couldn’t help but notice the bipedal bundles of cloaks and coats give him as wide a berth as possible, their scarf-clad necks craning to try and get a better view at the towering behemoth that had suddenly appeared in their midst. Even though Waterdeep was a fairly diverse and eclectic city in terms of its denizens, there was certainly still a line one could cross and be considered strange. An eight-foot-tall man with skin seemingly made of dark grey granite and wearing - in the middle of winter - nothing more than a sleeveless scaled brigandine and heavy hide pants and boots crossed this line and then some.
Sure, the stares made him somewhat uncomfortable, but he couldn’t blame folk for staring. And more often than not he was just a passing fancy for most people, and they quickly turned their attention elsewhere. Besides, he thankfully hadn’t been subject to any full-on bigotry since arriving in the city.
"Firsht wash the fuckin Orsh', now they are jusht letting everybody in... it'sh no wonder the lasht yearsh have been sho thrying with you fucking people makin things hard for the resht of ush!"
The drunken slur that passed for a yell echoed out from an alley to Nakan’s left. Stepping out of the way so as not to impede foot traffic, he stopped to take a look down the darkened gap between two stone buildings.
At first, Nakan thought he was looking at a mugging or robbery. A man lay on the ground, fairly obviously shoved there. Surrounding him was a group of several men, their moves to surround the lone individual revealing their less than peaceful intentions. But the group didn’t look like thugs or criminals. They wore the clothes of dockworkers and sailors, field hands and day laborers. This wasn’t about coin.
A few quiet moments of internal debate pass before, with a deep sigh, Nakan begins walking down the alley towards the assembled individuals. He’d try not to kill them, even try not to lay a hand on them if he could help it. There was no sense in folk dying or killing over petty squabbles and personal opinions.
He made a conscious effort to ensure his approach was heard, his footfalls echoing heavy *thuds* down the mud and stone alley. If he surprised any of the drunkards, it could end up with him getting a blade in the gut. Not something he really wanted to deal with today. As he made his final approach, Nakan cleared his throat.
“Good day, my friends.” His voice came out as a low rumble, like thunder in the distance, moderately accented and with the telltale inflections of someone who normally spoke Giant rather than Common.
“Now, what seems to be causing a problem here?”
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Post by Malakbel on Jan 18, 2019 17:34:15 GMT
The black man was mid-way through reciting his own take on Waterdeep's diversity policy when the sound of heavy footsteps made the first one of them turn their face in the direction of the sound, and like a domino effect, soon everyone else did and by the time Nakan was close enough to be felt and not only seen. Staggering to get up the Yuan-ti also stared at the hulking figure of the giant. His gaze jumped from one man to the next, they had caught him off guard. In his drunken stupor, he had grown comfortable with the way people ignored him and just stared at him. And that had been a mistake, letting his guard down like that. He counted them; one, two, three, four, five... And six counting the giant.
He figured he would have a chance. Uninhibited as he was though he wasn't thinking about brawling, or beating them. That was unlikely, it was five on one. He was figuring he could make them back off by flinging magic, or by setting one of them on fire... Maybe bluffing. All in all, reckless options all of them. He certainly felt a lot more charismatic after six drinks in a row. Nakan's arrival had him consider the situation with more seriousness, there was no way he could take the situation lightly if he was also going to be ganging up on him. He hadn't even began to formulate a plan when the big man spoke.
The first reply came from the only man yet staring at the Goliath. "Good day? Listen 'ere-" and then promptly went quiet as he turned back as well and quickly evaluated the height difference between them.
"Great, another outsider..." Said one of the men in a hushed, exhasperated whisper
"This is none of your business" Claimed another "Keep walkin'"
Like pack animals the first reaction was one of instinctual, individual fear and caution towards Nakan, but as more and more spoke out, soon that fear began to diminish and it was replaced by the cohesive courage of the group as a whole.
"'Tis anosther outshider thinksh he can come bully ush, ah?" Said the broad man, in an aggresive tone. None of them had moved still from their original positions more than one or two steps.
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Post by Kralle on Jan 19, 2019 1:39:07 GMT
Nakan watched as the group of men rapidly transitioned from confident bravado to unmasked fear and then slowly began the return climb to drunken overconfidence. He’d seen it before, mostly in Westgate. Of course, that was several months ago and there were only three thugs at the time. Now he had five of them to deal with. And it looked like just showing up as a witness wouldn’t be enough to dissuade them from their current plans.
He looked to the broad man, the one who’d been most outspoken in his opinion of Nakan’s arrival. The worker’s eyes were wide, bulging from their sockets in an inebriated mix of anger tinged with fear. He stood facing Nakan, arms like stalks of pure muscle ending in clenched fists. Whatever the man had been drinking, it certainly had given him a dose of courage...or at the very least amplified his stupidity.
“Bully you? Of course not. I wouldn’t bully you to let this man continue on his way.” He motioned with his hand to the Yuan-ti, who by this point had staggered back to his feet. The pureblood was glancing between the group of men and Nakan, seemingly unsure if the giant that had arrived had come to aid him or join in on the potential beating.
Nakan cracked a small, wry smile as he continued, “Bully isn’t the right word for it. I'd do something more along the lines of, say...aggressively encourage you to make the smartest and least painful decision, and let this fellow go about his business.”
Waiting a short moment to give the aggressors' chemically handicapped brains time to catch up with the conversation, Nakan rolled his shoulders. The movement caused the joints of his shoulders to pop audibly, and the scales of his armor to chime softly.
“Or,” he continued, still smiling, “if a fight is what you’re really after, It’d be my pleasure to even out the teams. Just to make things fair for us ‘Outsiders,’ mind you.”
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Post by Malakbel on Jan 19, 2019 16:05:08 GMT
The group of men wrongly assumed his first words to be some sort of capitulation on his part, and became slightly emboldened by it. There wasn't much in the way of words but the change of atmosphere was there in they way their bodies stood. They were starting to seem all too eager to chase the Goliath out, like a pack of dogs, barking the intruder away when he continued. All of them without exception were processing what he had said.
"What, he your boyfriend or something?" Said one of the men, and the rest cackled, but the situation kept flowing the same way it had been until then. It was not until his last words came out of the Goliath's mouth, paired up with the pop of his shoulders and scales of his armor that the threatening aura coming off him began to settle into them. Like a force pushing outwardly, their presence seemed to back off once again.
There were some mental gymnastics going on in the mind of the broader man, no doubt calculating his chances of taking on Nakan even with the help of his buddies. Liquid courage went a long way in convincing someone he could take on even the biggest of opponents.
"Yeah, you think sho...?"
His eyes squinted. The tensions were beginning to rise again, stretching so thin in the air even a cough out of place could set it off. When one of the other men quickly said.
"Shit I think I saw a guard"
It would take one glance at the face of the man making the claim to see it was infected by insecurity and fear, and his own claim about having seen a guard had been a half-assed performance, no doubt in his state he believed it to have been truly genuine. The rest of the men reacted to this and quickly began looking for said guard; behind them... And in front of them, where Nakan was partially blocking the view.
"Thought you had taken care of that Vrulf" shouted the black man
"I 'ad" responded the one that had cried it out, meekly "I dunno"
The broader man then saw his chance and took it "This ain't over" he told the Goliath
"Get out of our city, snake eyed trash" Growled the black man as they all quickly began to move past the Goliath to disperse
"And the same goes for you too giant half-breed, go back to your mountain with the rest of you brutes"
Said the broader man full of spite before they scampered off.
The Yuan-ti rested his back against the wall with a loud "thud" and stared at the gigantic man then, breaking the silence also speaking in a highly inhebriated tone but trying his best to remain composed. His squinting, yellow eyes had a faint shimmer of arcane power in them. Those two features alone put together were usually more than enough to have anyone and everyone he met be possessed by a small modicum of mistrust and caution when dealing with him. Magic was, after all something unknown for most people and the stuff of tales. Real that it was, there were no guidelines on what it could or couldn't do, what was it to say he wasn't actually throwing a curse on you or making your crops go bad.
"Should I thank you, or you just didn't want any witnesses around for when you decided to robbed me?"
Asked him in a way that could be considered a joke, his voice was deep and gruff, a tired voice put together with effort to not sound like a drunken growl. The faint trace of a smirk could be seen on the corners of his mouth.
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Post by Kralle on Jan 20, 2019 0:03:14 GMT
As the group of men made their exit, hurling insults and expletives as they went, Nakan simply watched. That had gone about as well as it could have. No bloodshed, no pointless fight over insipid bigotry or superiority. A bit of brawling certainly would have been refreshing, of course, but it probably would have greatly complicated matters in the long run. Folks like that were often very sore losers, likely as not to run to the guards and claim that they were assaulted rather than bested in combat. And as a general rule, the word of a local was often worth far more than that of an itinerant Goliath armed to the teeth. He gave a small chuckle as he watched the five of them scurry away and round the corner, disappearing into the crowds of other passersby.
With the immediate threat gone, Nakan turned his attention back to the only other remaining person in the alley. The Yuan-ti had seemingly regained most of his composure and was busy propping up the nearby wall. The Goliath gave another small laugh in response to the man’s sarcasm-laden question.
“Oh, aye. That was certainly the plan.” Nakan answered, jokingly. “Scare off the shard-a-dozen humans, rob the defenseless wanderer, then blend in among all those other Goliaths roaming around Waterdeep.”
After noticing a brief flash of magic energy in the eyes of the stranger, Nakan added, “Well...maybe I was a bit wrong about that ‘defenseless’ part at the very least.”
As fun as the sarcastic exchange had been, Nakan decided it was probably a good time to get the usual formalities out of the way. Taking a step forward and extending his right arm, he offered up his hand in the ancient and nigh-universal greeting that was the handshake.
“Nakan Bearheart. You’re more than welcome to just call me Nakan, though. Most others do.”
After his cursory introduction had been made - and the stranger had been given the chance to do the same - the Goliath looked around the still empty alley. No guards, no curious onlookers, and no drunken fools returning with reinforcements...yet. It didn’t feel right to just wander off and leave the Yuan-ti to his fate at this point. As much as Waterdeep was a relatively safe city, something told him that those brave and upstanding gentlemen likely hadn’t run off very far. And they’d certainly be itching for a second try at their previous goal. And Nakan had a sinking feeling they wouldn't be all that picky about whether they sunk their blades into a snake-blood or a stone-skin.
Turning his attention back to the other man, Nakan spoke up again.
“So, I think it may be best we make our exit now. I’d rather not be standing here if våre venner decide to come back in force, aye?” Without really noticing his brief slip from Common back into Giant, he motioned towards the end of the alley opposite of where the drunkards had exited. “Are you staying somewhere in the city, by chance? I think it would be wise for both of us to stick together until we’re a few blocks away at least.”
“Safety in numbers, as they say.”
((Must...resist...urge...to quote...Minsc.))
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Post by Malakbel on Jan 20, 2019 23:59:32 GMT
He let out a brief drunken chuckle at the comment about the Goliath blending in amongs the other giants in Waterdeep. It had been a good point indeed. He shook his head at the comment about him being wrong about the Yuan-ti being defenseless. He usually never boasted unless he was bluffing, or absolutely certain of his immediate and overwhelming superiority. And right now, the situation did not fit in either criteria.
"I'm as defenseless as a fly. Thank you, not many would have done what you did then." He said, butchering the sentence a little bit with a rough accent that slipped in between his teeth. Nontheless he accepted the handshake and firmly shook the hand of the Goliath. Despite not being as huge as the man standing before him, his body was hard to the touch, and his hand was no exception. On the palm of his right hand a small scar ran across the wrist and reached the first phalanx of his middle finger, and smaller cuts could be seen on the back of his hand.
"You can call me Malakbel. The full name will have you choking on your tongue before you can spell it out right."
He straigthened himself out and willed himself sober. Naturally, he failed. As if that would ever happen. Maybe he could make a spell for that. Sobrietus instantanius. Hilarious. He chuckled even though he had made no joke out loud. And then catched on to the words of Nakan, and arched one of his eyebrows, confused.
"I'm sorry, who? You knew those guys?"
As far as he knew Vare Venner could be the name of one of the would-be thugs.
"Aye, I'm staying by the dock wards. I think I'll take you up on that; there is indeed safety in numbers. And you are two or three at least."
He began to walk slowly seeing if the Goliath would follow, and used the opportunity to appraise him a little better. He was rather well armed for doing what the common folk usually called "honest trade". Perhaps a mercenary? Or a caravan guard?. He doubted the first; most mercenaries he knew were self serving pricks, out of learned nature. And caravan guards... Well... He hadn't mentioned any payment and thus far seemed genuine.
"What about you Nakan, are you staying in the city?"
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Post by Kralle on Jan 21, 2019 11:01:57 GMT
Nakan gave a warm smile as Malakbel returned the gesture and shared his name.
“Well, Malakbel, think nothing of it.” the Goliath replied. “It was fairly cut and dry. You were outnumbered and they clearly planned on fighting dirty. Of course, I wasn’t about to let that stand.”
Nakan took Malakbel’s word on his surname. The Goliath had enough trouble pronouncing some Common words and phrases as it was, and could only just barely scrape by with conversational Dwarvish. He could only imagine how torturous the linguistic gymnastics would be for an entirely new language at this point. Why couldn’t the other races make things simpler? What was wrong with straightforward, to the point names?
Before he could get too far into his mental tangent, he was brought back into the present moment by Malakbel’s own language question. Nakan had to stop and think for a moment, wondering what the man meant by insinuating that he might know one of the muggers. The moment was brief, though, and he fairly quickly recognized his slip-up.
“Ah. No, nothing like that. Våre venner is Giant, translates into Common as ‘our friends’ more or less.” The barbarian idly rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before admitting, “I’ve only been regularly speaking the Common tongue for about two years or so. Sometimes some Giant slips in here or there.”
With the clarification out of the way, Nakan would indeed follow alongside Malakbel as he began moving out of the alleyway. As they emerged onto the street, Nakan was glad to see that the foot traffic along this particular stretch of road was a bit slower and sparser. The two men were less likely to draw any bewildered or intrigued looks from any passersby, and it would be harder for anyone to get the drop on them without being spotted. A win-win situation indeed. Still, Nakan would let his hand rest instinctively on the haft of one of the small handaxes belted to his hip.
As the pair continued on their way towards the Docks, Nakan considered Malakbel’s question. It wasn’t exactly a simple answer, all things considered.
“Eh...something like that. I’ve been traveling for the better and worse parts of the past two years. Mostly just drift from place to place, and take the occasional odd job for a bit of coin to keep me well fed or maintain my gear.”
He watched the ground as they continued walking, observing the pattern of roughly hewn cobblestones making up the simple street. “Being as big as I am, and having a bit of competence with an axe, those odd jobs usually end up being sellsword or ‘adventurer’ work. Clearing off bandits, exterminating goblins...basic stuff.”
As the pair moved through the streets, Nakan kept glancing about at the crowded buildings. Homes and businesses, warehouses and offices. All made of stone and timber, many of them loosing gray wisps of wood smoke into the winter air. The combined smells of soot, sea, mud, and other 'perfumes' made for a decidedly urban and alien scent for Nakan. Far different from the sights and smells of the mountains and the wilds. It wasn't something he'd get used to anytime soon.
"These big cities are a bit foreign to me," admitted the Goliath. "I prefer being outside the walls as often as possible. I'm staying at a boarding house in the South Ward for now, since it's such a short walk from the gates."
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Post by Malakbel on Jan 21, 2019 14:35:41 GMT
"Ah"
He replied and relaxed his expression a bit, all in all he didn't know much about the Goliath people other than the basics. They hailed from somewhere up in the mountains and lived among tribes usually. His information could be mistaken though. The fact he spoke Giant made him wonder if it was the language of his people or just something he had picked up along the way. Though if he had just picked it up along the way why would he just be using it like that? No. Odds were that was his first language, if anything.
"Don't worry about it. Speaking more than one language comes in handy when you don't want to talk to other people. You just babble one some "Me no understando you", and after a while they'll leave you alone"
He knew he had employed that tactic already. And also, insulting people in a foreign language while keeping a straight face. For some reason though he found some languages to be particularly funny even when he had no idea what they were saying. In one ocassion, when he was a child, he had to fight hard to keep the laughter from bursting out in front of two foreign merchants speaking in their language as they bartered with his teacher.
The Yuan-ti nodded at the drifter lifestyle the man had adopted. He was no stranger to it either. And the mention of axing problems for money didn't surprise him either. He wouldn't say it out loud but the man to his side did not strike him as a sage, or a scribe at all.
"Seems like that sort of work are the ones that pay the most. It makes me wonder though, why is it in such a high demand. And it makes me wonder about the hypocrisy of people in general. You see them cursing murderers, and casting violence aside as being a force of evil in this world. People generally speaking claim they want to live in peace and be left alone. But clearing off bandits, exterminating goblins, fending of robbers, getting jumped on by thieves of high birth... It forces you into lowkey becoming one. And then it's in high demand. See... I remember once I found a bandit that claimed not to care for the lives of lesser beings. He was a gnoll, saw humans and humanoids in general as lesser beings and thus not worthy of feeling sorry for. He was as evil as they go, obviously, I think he actually ate people and children. But when I come to think about it is that not what one tells oneself when killing a goblin, an orc? That these are pests that threaten us? And then it ocurrs to me, than to the orcs, to the goblins, to whatever is on the wrong side of my blade, that I am the personification of evil for them. There I go, going in, killing them because I know myself to be superior to them. That's how they see it."
He made a small pause and brought one hand to his face, as if to clean it from some invisible liquid. He was talking a lot and out of the blue as drunken people were often known to do.
"I'm sorry, I trailed off a bit there. I don't like cities either. There's too many people for my taste... But it's alright inside the Inn. It's fairly quieter, and there is less prying eyes looking at me from every direction. Though I'm not sure if I will be able to stay within the city for much longer; I have this anxiety bubbling up within me calling me elsewhere. Maybe I've just spent too much time wandering."
Malakbel paused for a moment in his volley of words, and considered the Goliath.
"How did you end up here Nakan? If you don't mind sharing with a stranger"
He wouldn't be offended if the Goliath didn't want to share such details. Every man had the right to some privacy about his past.
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Post by Kralle on Jan 23, 2019 6:49:16 GMT
As their conversation continued as they meandered through the streets of Waterdeep, it was fairly clear to Nakan that Malakabel had been drinking as well, judging by his long-winded tirade on the duality of perceived evils. But Nakan quietly listened, occasionally nodding here and there. The man made some excellent points, sensible ones. A little more abstract and philosophical than the ideals that the Ugunavi had instilled in Nakan during his youth, but in the same realm of thinking. Nothing in the world was genuinely evil, nor was anything good. Everything equated to survival, security, and stability. The conflicts arose when one group’s ideal vision of those principles clashed with another group’s. And if Nakan were to be forced to choose a side in that conflict, he’d often pick the side that was closest in line with the path to equilibrium, honor, and peace. This usually meant goblins, orcs, xvarts, and all other manner of more bestial and sadistic races found themselves on the wrong side of his axe.
When Malakabel dejectedly apologized after realizing how long he had rambled, Nakan merely waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.
“There is no need to apologize, not if you speak of something worth listening to. And we all tend to ramble now and again. It is in the basic nature of most beings.”
He continued to play the part of the listener as the Yuan-ti shared his own similar opinion of the crowded hubs of civilization. When Malakabel brought up the inn, Nakan couldn’t help but compare it to the boarding house he was residing in for the time being. It was most definitely not peaceful. He had a room to himself, thankfully, but the place was undoubtedly lacking in vacancy. Other adventurers and travelers came and went at all hours of day and night, causing a nigh-unending cacophony of noise. If it weren’t for the fact that it was cheap to rent for extended stays, included meals, and was close to the gate so Nakan could meditate in the surrounding woodlands each morning, then he likely would have sought better lodgings long ago.
He was so caught up in thinking of all the strange and bothersome aspects of the row house life that Malakabel’s question caught him somewhat off-guard. Nakan didn’t exactly mind sharing the story per se. It was just a long, complicated, and somewhat personal story with a fair amount of cultural nuance. He’d learned that the Goliath way of doing things was not how most of the other civilized races handled their daily affairs. A thief who stole a piece of bread in Waterdeep merely had to pay a fine and possibly spend a bit of time in Castle Waterdeep’s dungeons. Among the Ugunavi, his tribe, a thief would be taken to the center of camp and beaten for an hour or so, and then maybe shunned for a few days to motivate them to change their ways.
It was that same difference in customs that made it hard to describe his self-imposed exile.
“Well...the shorter, less complicated version is that I made a mistake. Some of my people died because of it. Good people, my friends.” He paused a moment; eyes seemingly focused on something far-off and distant. “I couldn’t go back to my tribe after it happened. I couldn’t return to them, tell them I had failed their friends and family members. The chief would've been expected to exile me; I’m certain of that...sometimes.”
Another pause caught the Goliath as he and Malakabel turned down a side street, the blue water of the Great Harbor now in sight, complete with the occasional ship lazily drifting into and out of port. The cries of gulls filled the air now rather than the buzz of the residential and commercial districts the pair had until now been walking through. The smell of smog was slowly overlaid with the scent of salt with each step they took down the narrow street.
“So,” continued Nakan, with a deep sigh, “rather than force the chief to have to strip my name from me and banish me into the wilds, I did the honorable thing and left of my own choosing. I sent word back with a survivor, and that was the last I saw of my tribe and my home.”
A few moments of dark, brooding silence passed as Nakan thought back to that day. It seemed so far away and insignificant now, despite how much of an impact it had had on the very course of his entire life. Here he was, more than two thousand miles away from his homeland in a massive city on the edge of a seemingly endless sea, talking with a man of a race he had only ever heard stories of. Considering these circumstances seemed to lift Nakan'd spirits somewhat, especially as he realized this meant he was the first of the Uguvani to make it this far West and the first to meet a Yuan-ti.
Not wishing to let the mood turn sour once again, he turned to Malakabel.
"I’ve been wandering a bit aimlessly since then, although I ended up coming here after being unable to find much work down south, in Baldur’s Gate. Not much need of mercenaries or adventurous types there of late and some folks recommended I come here.”
As the two men continued growing closer to the docks and piers of the Harbor, Nakan decided to pass the conversation back to Malakabel.
"So, it seems the harbor is just ahead, my friend. If we have enough time before we arrive at your lodging, I'd ask you the same question. Why did you find yourself called here to Waterdeep?"
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Post by Malakbel on Jan 28, 2019 22:36:11 GMT
There was a sweet spot in being drunk when he was fully aware of the fact that he was oversharing and speaking without pause, but at the same time he was too drunken to care. Emotionally, at least. Being a Yuan-ti his own emotions were dimmed beyond what most of the other sentient species, bar the Lizardfolk probably, could comprehend. That meant that his only reason to behave properly was the cold logic by which most of his actions and plans were measured... And that was holding as straight as a wet noodle.
The words of his interlocutor made him think he was just being polite. Which struck him at odd. One would think someone such as him was able to see past the appeareance of people, but truth be told he was just as prone as making first appeareances-assessments as anyone else. He didn't think of the Goliath as an actual polite person, or knowledgeable even, or smart, based on his outwards looks. No, he had expected some kind of cruel brute that had come to mug him too. It was a new experience for him to find someone with power who did not want to either wield it or flaunt it.
Of course, in his paranoid mind, this meant that he could also have ulterior motives for it.
His expression changed a bit when the giant confessed to having made a mistake that had gotten some of his people killed. He hadn't been expecting such a straightforward, honest answer. Less so about a subject that he was sure would have cut deep into many of the people he knew. Which was to say like, two folks, tops.
"That's rough..." he confessed, self-imposed exile was an honorable thing to do. Also, kind of proudful in his eyes, but a logical outcome. Given the situation the man had chosen the optimal path to take. He went silent a bit after his story ended, with only the sound of their footsteps heading into the Dock Ward, after going through Fish street. Standing out in the distance, far away, an appearently crashed ship could be seen onto a street.
Nakan's question cut the silence, and after a couple seconds he spoke once again.
"Magic. I've been on the road for quite a while. I was once a wizard's apprentice but... Well, life happens, I guess. I couldn't stay there anymore. But as you figure Wizard's are not a sharing or welcoming lot, nor they grow up on trees... But there are a couple magic academies on the city. Of course, each one of them wants something out of you in return. I came here to learn magic and get better at it, but now I'm second guessing myself."
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Post by Kralle on Jan 30, 2019 10:08:51 GMT
“Ah, so you are a prospective magere.” Nakan caught his slip this time and quickly corrected himself. “Sorry...I believe Wizard is the Common phrase, as you said.”
Nakan had met his fair share of spellcasters in his life, although the simple rituals performed by his tribe’s shaman did little to prepare him for the feats he would witness outside of the Icerim Mountains. Men conjuring flames from thin air, elves capable of throwing shards of light that could track down even a concealed foe, and even more mystic and arcane acts that he could never hope to wrap his head around. Magic was likely one of the few things in the world that Nakan had some modicum of genuine fear of.
However, fear of a skill or tool did not equate to fear of its practitioner or tradesman. There were plenty of people who used magic for good, for the betterment of life and their societies. And while Nakan had met his fair share of dangerous and hostile mages, he found no amount of their magic could prevent a solid blow from his axe killing them as easily as any other being. Whether ‘good’ or ‘evil,’ magic users were not the object of his distrust or cautiousness.
Nakan had respect for the fact that Malakabel was looking for a teacher. Self-taught skills were essential, but some things could only be learned with the aid of one more experienced. He imagined that mastering magic was indeed something that was easier if one was able to study under a skilled practitioner. But judging by the end of the Yuan-ti’s answer, Nakan could only assume that finding a teacher had been difficult.
“So, if I read your tone correctly, I imagine the self-doubt comes from being unable to find a proper school? Or, at least, one who’s cost you are able or willing to pay?”
Nakan realized shortly after he spoke that Malakabel had been a bit vaguer and more reserved in sharing his story than the goliath had been in telling his own. “But I mean no offense, nor do I want to pry if you’d rather keep the answer to yourself. I certainly won’t feel slighted if you choose not to share.”
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Post by Malakbel on Feb 3, 2019 16:35:23 GMT
The Yuan-ti shook his head, slowly, a small smile upon his face.
"There are plenty of so called teachers in the city. Some willing to teach you in exchange for coin. Some others, willing to teach you in exchange for promises, or servitude. But that's not the reason. I am doubting my reason to learning magic. I sought to learn magic to unveil a mystery, to find an answer I've been looking for. I'm wondering however if it had been nothing but a convenient excuse."
He paused in his explanation, it was a reflexion shared out loud as soon as it was taking place within him.
"I could have tried to go after an answer armed with sword and shield, I don't do bad with those. And yet I didn't, I went elsewhere. Maybe it was not that magic was such a priority but that it was a convenient excuse to hide my own cowardice in."
If he had to be honest with himself there were times when he felt life as he had been living was not really worth living. He was constantly afraid and paranoid of everything that sorrounded him because he was most sure he had unknown enemies across the world who wished him harm. He remained awake often times, during the nights, suspecting everyone. And would despise the level to which it had affected him, he was a prisioner of that fear, of that paranoia. And would continue to be so until the matter was settled... But how long would that take? How much of his life would that take?
"And thus I wonder... Either that was cowardice, or currently is my own impatience is taking hold of me. Telling me to go now and not waste any further time. Because the way I've been living... is no living at all. There's surviving, and there's living, and there is a broad difference between both... And I'm not sure I'll be able to live at all until the matter is settled."
It was rare for him to share things out like that, even if he didn't talk specifics it was already more than many had gotten out of him even on long talks. He felt no regret at it however, like a spit on the face of his fears, but too much and it would feel like a spit on the face of caution instead. Alcohol helped with that, even if it was hard for him to get drunk.
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Post by Kralle on Feb 9, 2019 8:33:38 GMT
It occurred to Nakan rather quickly that Malakbel was in something of a limbo. He seemed to be speaking in a cross of actual conversation and thinking out loud. Maybe it was the alcohol, inebriating the Yuan-ti just enough to let him slip seamlessly between the two. Perhaps it was something else. Nakan wasn’t quite good enough at reading people to determine the answer accurately.
Nakan quietly listened as Malakbel continued to explain his myriad reasons for taking up the arcane arts, and as he questioned himself on whether it had been due to need, desire, or some combination of both. The wizard was having a bit of a conflict about his current situation, questioning whether Waterdeep was indeed where he needed to be. One particular statement caught Nakan’s attention in particular, however. The comment on the valley of difference between surviving and living.
The Goliath waited for a brief moment, both to collect his own thoughts and ensure that Malakbel had nothing more to say for the moment. Then, in his usual low rumble, he spoke up.
“You know, among my people, survival is the single most important part of our lives. Nearly everything we do is about survival. Where do we get food? How will we build shelter? Who will rear the young?”
“Every day, you wake up and immediately set about fighting - one way or another - for survival. That is our life.” Nakan paused, breaking his sentence up with a small, barely audible sigh. “But...it is not living. You are right about that, Malakbel. Although, there is one important detail that I haven’t yet mentioned. An Ugunavi, in their fight for survival, is not fighting for just their own survival. They fight for the survival of the tribe, for the survival of the whole. The many.”
He paused a moment, trying to organize his words as best he could. It was important that he try to present a different viewpoint for the Yuan-ti to consider rather than lecture him on the nuances of Goliath society.
“They fight so that the people and the ideas that give them a reason to live, can survive. So yes, survival and living may be two very different things, but they are also very closely linked. One cannot be without the other. In order to be able to live, you must first be able to survive. And you will certainly never survive without a will or reason to live”
Nakan gave a small grin, chuckling softly. He knew how mystic or philosophical the advice must sound, but it was what he had to offer.
“But, of course, I’m merely an uncivilized tribal from the northern wilderness. Take all that I say with a healthy dose of salt if you must.”
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Post by Malakbel on Feb 27, 2019 20:11:59 GMT
He listened to what Nakan had to say with the kind of idle curiosity only a drunken man can have, halfway there halfway someplace else not looking like he's paying attention but that was only because he couldn't do two things at the same time at intervals. That included listening and looking. What he was saying made sense to him, the nomadic way of life or rather... harsh life was something he could imagine. Though he always only had to take care of himself and nothing else, or little else if anything. To have to build shelter for someone else or take care of any kind of young... That would put an extra strain on anyone.
He knew little to nothing about the way of the Ugunavi and the words of the bigger man did reach out to him, making him get lost in thought for a few seconds.
"I don't think being an uncivilized tribal from the northern wilderness means that you must be unwise. Just like attenting to a university does not guarantee your intelligence. All a diploma guarnatees is that you attended and passed, everything else... Is about natural aptitude and seized opportunity."
He paused, considering
"I see what you mean"
He said as they reared the giant, seemingly capsized ship that was his Inn, approaching it slowly.
"But to fight solely so other people and ideas can survive... Is it really worth it? You know I don't much believe in any idylic afterlife, if any being that manages to attain sufficient power can ascend to godhood it means that there are no other requirements other than power in and of itself. Existance is parasitic in nature, with entropy eating away at the borders. How can one knowing this, live for others, and think that's a life being lived at it's fullest?"
He stopped near the entrance of the wooden construction, while he was able to mantain his balance his body was slowly shifting left and right in a quiet, subtle way. He stared at the Goliath's face with nothing but curiosity in his stare. It was a question that he had also asked himself but doubted about the kind of answer or conclusion he could give himself. It was a thing of contrasts.
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