Grysham
25-01-2006, 05:03 PM
Little Rin
* * * * * * * * * *
Rin sat with Weaver at his back, the quite man moving his fingers in intricate patterns, Weaving threads Rin could neither see nor understand. He'd shown a passing knowledge and even a passing talent for Weaving, though Rin would neither have the skill or the dedication to fully flourish skills like Weavers.
Rin wasn't the bandit leaders true name, that secret was as tightly kept as Rin's past. Even when with Severance, Rin's appearance was one of secrecy. He wore plain leathers of dark colors though common among farmers and traders, a hood and cloak of forest greens was always wrapped around his shoulders and pulled up over his head. His face was masked with a cloth scarf which wrapped around his neck and over his mouth. Other than little Rin's eyes, a typical Ponterran blue, nothing of the mans true appearance was visible. Even the color of his skin was hard to make out in the dark nights they gathered to raid.
Weaver was less secretive about his appearance, though Rin highly suspected that it wasn't his true look. Able to Weave enchants around himself, it wasn't uncommon in bars and taverns for rumors of shape-shifting Weaver's to comb the countryside, out for revenge for the fall that befell them. Rin snorted at such stories, the Weavers were few and far between now and thoughts of revenge had long since past from their minds, though he didn't doubt they had the ability to change how others saw them.
He stood now a young figure, his long black hair blew gently in the cool autumn breeze and his tunic and cloth pants were tugged gently this way and that by the wind. His clothing was that of a trader, light and airy though without the embroidery and decoration most traders enjoyed to display their wealth, his boots were sturdy woodsman's boots however and buckled tightly around the ankles and shin. His face wasn't old, though wasn't young and he had a wide smile he often shared. Much like Rin, Weaver didn't seem to carry any weapons on his person.
Rin looked down the hill they were currently crouching on, the western woods to their backs just visible as a silhouette against the sky. Down from them a road ran roughly north-east toward the City of Vianas, weaving through the valleys created by the gentle rolling hills and crossing through a number of small townships on the way.
Easily visible in the dark, the half-way house, better known as the Travias Inn, was lit up by a myriad of lamps that stretched up and down the road for a league along the roads. The Inn itself was bathed in light, the guards at the doors idly looking out into the night. Even without Weavers ability to hide their presence, Rin doubted the guards would be able to see out into the darkness with all the lights around them, too many lamps kept the eyes from adjusting to the night. The guards here were for little more than show, few caravans worth raiding came this close to Lythan territories these days.
Never the less to the south the sounds of a caravan could be heard. The rumbling beasts of burden marched with a steady pace, their hoof-beats rumbling the ground. Rin smiled, his information was correct. From the looks of the caravan as it weaved its way into the lamp lit road, this group of traders were a prey worth hunting for. Even waiting for these last two nights.
He heard the rest of the group shift behind him as patience was finally rewarded. One of his members chuckled at the site of one particularly heavily loaded caravan, its team of Gristem* having a hard time pulling it along. Caravans were loaded with goods, foods and crated cargo. From what Rin had heard, a couple of wagons were also loaded with a new shipment of Order armor and weapons for the Vianas garrison stationed there. It was this loot that Rin was most interested in, Order equipment was some of the finest and most decorated in all Ponterra, symbolizing both the power, wealth and status of the Order. Its allure alone had drawn many citizens to join the Orders ranks.
When melted down or sold on to the underground markets, Order equipment was highly sought after. Often decorated with gold or silver, the precious metals would be stripped off and resold. The armor itself would be reworked, its quality maintained but its appearance changed and similarly sold on as some of the finest pieces to non order buyers. Some blacksmiths made a heavy profit selling off stolen work as their own, saving themselves the cost of the materials and making a profit on the workmanship.
Though usually heavily guarded by the Order, this shipment was an emergency supply and was being shipped in secret along the lesser used trade lines to avoid the bandits and thieves who attacked on the roads to Vianas. No doubt the Order was also hoping to avoid his own band, the Severance. Though Severance was mostly composed of opportunists and thieves, a few had joined when they noticed Rin's frequent attacks on Order supplies and goods. Rin gave them no impression of a zealous rebel however. Rin was only after the loot.
He motioned forward two men with a wave of the hand and waited for his men to approach before he prepared the rest to attack. The two he gestured forward were his best archers, usually flanking the group and supporting the main raiders with their arrows. He nodded to both as they approached.
* * * * * * * * * *
*Gristem - Large beasts of burden. Standing on their hide legs with small forepaws that are more commonly used for gripping or tearing branches. The beasts are covered in long shaggy fur which varies from black and brown to grey-blue. Their heads look similar to oxen or cows, with large round horns potruding from their foreheads. Their mouthes are large with round flat teeth. Most wild Gristem are dangerous when provoked due to their large size, though most stick to the borders of forests to feed on leaves and branches in their reach. They can reach fairly high speed with their loping gaits and are commonly used to pull caravans and wagons.
* * * * * * * * * *
Rin sat with Weaver at his back, the quite man moving his fingers in intricate patterns, Weaving threads Rin could neither see nor understand. He'd shown a passing knowledge and even a passing talent for Weaving, though Rin would neither have the skill or the dedication to fully flourish skills like Weavers.
Rin wasn't the bandit leaders true name, that secret was as tightly kept as Rin's past. Even when with Severance, Rin's appearance was one of secrecy. He wore plain leathers of dark colors though common among farmers and traders, a hood and cloak of forest greens was always wrapped around his shoulders and pulled up over his head. His face was masked with a cloth scarf which wrapped around his neck and over his mouth. Other than little Rin's eyes, a typical Ponterran blue, nothing of the mans true appearance was visible. Even the color of his skin was hard to make out in the dark nights they gathered to raid.
Weaver was less secretive about his appearance, though Rin highly suspected that it wasn't his true look. Able to Weave enchants around himself, it wasn't uncommon in bars and taverns for rumors of shape-shifting Weaver's to comb the countryside, out for revenge for the fall that befell them. Rin snorted at such stories, the Weavers were few and far between now and thoughts of revenge had long since past from their minds, though he didn't doubt they had the ability to change how others saw them.
He stood now a young figure, his long black hair blew gently in the cool autumn breeze and his tunic and cloth pants were tugged gently this way and that by the wind. His clothing was that of a trader, light and airy though without the embroidery and decoration most traders enjoyed to display their wealth, his boots were sturdy woodsman's boots however and buckled tightly around the ankles and shin. His face wasn't old, though wasn't young and he had a wide smile he often shared. Much like Rin, Weaver didn't seem to carry any weapons on his person.
Rin looked down the hill they were currently crouching on, the western woods to their backs just visible as a silhouette against the sky. Down from them a road ran roughly north-east toward the City of Vianas, weaving through the valleys created by the gentle rolling hills and crossing through a number of small townships on the way.
Easily visible in the dark, the half-way house, better known as the Travias Inn, was lit up by a myriad of lamps that stretched up and down the road for a league along the roads. The Inn itself was bathed in light, the guards at the doors idly looking out into the night. Even without Weavers ability to hide their presence, Rin doubted the guards would be able to see out into the darkness with all the lights around them, too many lamps kept the eyes from adjusting to the night. The guards here were for little more than show, few caravans worth raiding came this close to Lythan territories these days.
Never the less to the south the sounds of a caravan could be heard. The rumbling beasts of burden marched with a steady pace, their hoof-beats rumbling the ground. Rin smiled, his information was correct. From the looks of the caravan as it weaved its way into the lamp lit road, this group of traders were a prey worth hunting for. Even waiting for these last two nights.
He heard the rest of the group shift behind him as patience was finally rewarded. One of his members chuckled at the site of one particularly heavily loaded caravan, its team of Gristem* having a hard time pulling it along. Caravans were loaded with goods, foods and crated cargo. From what Rin had heard, a couple of wagons were also loaded with a new shipment of Order armor and weapons for the Vianas garrison stationed there. It was this loot that Rin was most interested in, Order equipment was some of the finest and most decorated in all Ponterra, symbolizing both the power, wealth and status of the Order. Its allure alone had drawn many citizens to join the Orders ranks.
When melted down or sold on to the underground markets, Order equipment was highly sought after. Often decorated with gold or silver, the precious metals would be stripped off and resold. The armor itself would be reworked, its quality maintained but its appearance changed and similarly sold on as some of the finest pieces to non order buyers. Some blacksmiths made a heavy profit selling off stolen work as their own, saving themselves the cost of the materials and making a profit on the workmanship.
Though usually heavily guarded by the Order, this shipment was an emergency supply and was being shipped in secret along the lesser used trade lines to avoid the bandits and thieves who attacked on the roads to Vianas. No doubt the Order was also hoping to avoid his own band, the Severance. Though Severance was mostly composed of opportunists and thieves, a few had joined when they noticed Rin's frequent attacks on Order supplies and goods. Rin gave them no impression of a zealous rebel however. Rin was only after the loot.
He motioned forward two men with a wave of the hand and waited for his men to approach before he prepared the rest to attack. The two he gestured forward were his best archers, usually flanking the group and supporting the main raiders with their arrows. He nodded to both as they approached.
* * * * * * * * * *
*Gristem - Large beasts of burden. Standing on their hide legs with small forepaws that are more commonly used for gripping or tearing branches. The beasts are covered in long shaggy fur which varies from black and brown to grey-blue. Their heads look similar to oxen or cows, with large round horns potruding from their foreheads. Their mouthes are large with round flat teeth. Most wild Gristem are dangerous when provoked due to their large size, though most stick to the borders of forests to feed on leaves and branches in their reach. They can reach fairly high speed with their loping gaits and are commonly used to pull caravans and wagons.