Borderlands II - This is the OLD game thread

[Stik]

The meal gets underway, with large plates of food shuttling out of the back room at a steady pace. At a side table sits young Lagos, with a slightly older girl who looks to be a sister of his and a few other children, probably cousins, under the watchful eye of Suja, who, heavy with child, grabs every chance to sit down.
Every time Liri looks in the child's direction he hurriedly looks away, making it all the more obvious that he has been staring at her instead of eating his meal.

The food is good, and hearty, and comes accompanied by some good beer for those who want it. About ten minutes into the meal, while Suja is out of the room, one of the older children approaches the table, and tugs on Galanis' sleeve. "One of you must tell us a story. Otherwise you can not leave. And there will be no dessert for any of you."

[Jenara]

Quick backtrack...

"Me?" Angel blushes a deep crimson, "I ... I am not sure what to say to that." Hiding her head under her hair she turns to Liri, her eyes fixed on the Pretty elf before her.

-------

And now back to the present.

"I wonder what's going on there?" Angel notes looking over at Glanis.

[BishGada]

Galanis catches the boy's hand quickly, but gently. "Well, who said we want to get out of this marvelous place?" he smiles and winks. "Tell you what, you bring me another bottle of wine and that desert you mentioned and I'll tell you the best story you have ever heard."

After the boy leaves to the kitchen Galanis goes to sit near the fire and waves the other children to form a circle around him. He looks at Calah and Bastian each in turn and asks, "Want to take part in it?" he asks smiling, his teeth shine and glitter in the dancing light comes from the fire.

[Breila]

"Am I invited as well?" Liri asks, getting up. "It's been a long time since I last heard stories."

[BishGada]

"Sure!" Galanis smiles kindheartedly. "It's always a pleasure having such delicate and beautiful woman besides you while telling stories." he puts his hand on the small of Liri's back and leads her to the circle.

When everyone gathers, Galanis looks at the kids around him. He expects some of the grown to smile or get bored, but the youngers to be eager to listen. And he starts. "This is the story about the wolf who had slain the spirit of the winter frost. The story takes place very long ago and in Bordinora." he pauses for a second points to the sky and say, "If you look at the sky on the 40th day of the year, in the middle of the night, when the darkness is absolute, then you can see Bordinora, shining alone, in the middle of the Fort Quandro constellation." he gestures toward the constellation. "So...." he rubs his hands and starts telling the story, "Many years ago, there, in the northen most continent in Bordinora, where the Third sun comes out but once a year, and the snow is always one hundred feet thick, there lived the spirit of the winter frost... It ruled this realm harshly with no one to stop him, but his actions where important to keep the balance..." Galanis continues weaving the story painting the spirit of the winter frost as a formidable and cruel creature, telling some scary situation the spirit was involved in and scares the kids as the tension grows. Then he starts telling about the wolf.
"Many leagues from the uncontested realm of the spirit of the winter frost, lived alone a great wolf who later become known as Wurshak the obliterator. Wurshak traveled long distance, looking for prey. He wondered about the marvels of nature and was content with his life. He was a great creature, his speed and might were extraordinary and his sense of smell could tell him what creatures were around him in forty miles radius in any given time, and their exact location." Galanis sniffs the air and tell the kids, "And if you won't get showered he will smell you from here to Brodinora." he jokes. "Being so extraordinary, Wurshak seek only hunt strong opponents, but there were not many strong opponents in the vast plain Wurshak dominated and so Wurshak started wandering and expended his domain.

One day, Wurshak was awakened by a foul smell...
He stood up and knew heavy monsters are rushing toward him. He waited to see what's coming, and what came was terrible...." he pauses. "Seven trolls were running towards him. Each one at least sixteen foot tall, with long limbs almost reaching the ground. Wurshak didn't even flinch at their sighting but a moment later he have noticed they are not attacking at all, they were reeking of fear!!!" Galanis stops dramatically.

"What could make such an army to flee in such terror? Whurshak thought to himself. He extended his sense as far as he could reach, and then he felt it. As a hunter he could sense the great power of a fellow hunter. He could sense that opponent senses are all atoned to one purpose. Hunt fast, immediate kill. No struggle, not wearing down the enemy, no games, no mercy. As efficient as it can get. And the prowess behind that strategic were more then enough to execute it.

Wurshak let the trolls pass over him, he didn't care for them, the true enemy have sensed him for sure by now. Wurshak didn't intend to run. He will face his opponent. He trusted his own abilities. He could feel the tense rushing towards him like a terrible snowfall. Growing and unstoppable." Galanis stop at that point, "But I must stop to wet my throat..." he smiles as he grabs a skin of wine and drink deeply.

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(OOC: I'll continue in the next post)

[Breila]

Liri's eyes flash at Galanis as he touches her, tellin gher displeasure, but for the moment, she says nothing. She does not want to make ascene in front of the children. She does, however, make sure she sits out of his arm's reach. As the story goes on, she closes her eyes and gently sways forward anc back, completely giving herself in to the pleasure.

[Jenara]

If Angel could magic daggers from her eyes she'd have already done so.
"What am I doing?" she thinks to hherself flushing a deep crimson.

Staying seated she slides the long blade from its scabbard and starts cleaning the blade with skilled precision, her elven ears prick up on the alert, listening to the story.

[Stik]

The children are enthralled by the story, so much so that they have fallen almost entirely silent. Even Suja, when she returns, stands quietly to listen, the bread in her hands forgotten.

[BishGada]

"So, where have we been?" Galanis looks at the children wide eyed... He waits to hear some of their comments and then continues. "Right, the trolls... So Wurshak sees the trolls rushing pass him, trembling with fear. He prepares himself to face the wave of power that threatens to wash over the wide plains, and raises his own walls of defenses. For the first time in months Wurshak raises his voice in a great howl that shakes the ground, and he charges forward toward his opponent. At first these two great powers are running toward each other, the concentration of forces wakes the attention of every creature or spirit over miles around. Birds, squirrels, and even the predators, such as bears and the great white tigers, all were holding their breath, waiting for the impact..." Galanis waits dramatically... and as he feels the tension is immense he jumps at the kids and shouts "And bang!" he scares them catching one child and wave him around. Then he puts the child back in his place, and sits down himself. He lets the tension dissolve and the chuckles of the grown ups to diminish before continueing.

"Now seriously, they waited, and waited... and after a while when nothing happened, all started moving cautiously, like awakening from a dream. Looked at each other and continued with their lives.
While Wurshak charged he felt his opposition comes closer, and so did the spirit of the winter frost. But as they drew nearer, something felt familiar about each other and suddenly Wurshak felt all opposition gone. There was no trace of the spirit. Wurshak was confused. At first he was angry and later he become obsessed. He searched the spirit and tried to track it down, but the spirit itself was mighty and outwit Wurshak for a long time. Every time he sensed the spirit, few steps later, it was able to avoid him. This started like a hunt and during time evolved into a game. The spirit and Wurshak began to admire each other, each with his strengths and weaknesses. They kind of completed each other. During all those seasons of chase, the spirit character has changed. Now that it found a kin to itself it stopped terrorizing the creatures of its land. It felt pleasure for the first time in its existence, and with that it started to appreciate nature around in a similar way to Wurshak. One day Wurshak while traveling, saw few demons attacking and rampaging the northest city of Bordinora. He didn't sense the spirit anywhere near and decided to kill those demons that ruined his world. He challenged them, but they were great in strength, and the fight was terrible. They had not used only sheer power against him but also magic and fires conjured from the underworld. Wurshak agility and dexterity let him avoid the worst of their attacks, and injure them himself, but as the fight went on and on for days, and the demons did not cower, Wurshak started to tire. All he could do is concentrate on avoiding the demons next attack. Still, he held his ground. Being so concentrated on his enemies, Wurshak didn't sense the spirit of the winter frost near by. Nor did he sense her anger towards the demons and her compassion and her love, an emotion she also only this moment became to know, towards him.
But the demons did sense her. Wurshak was so weak that he even failed to notice that less and less attacks are aimed at him and that they changed they formation to a defensible one. Suddenly the spirit was all upon them and with her a wind of familiarity and joy that washed over Wurshak senses. Joined again with his so long foe who become friend Wurshak strength returned to him and joining forces with the spirit they managed to banish the demons after a long battle that scorched the very heart of the land. Then, completely exhausted, Wurshak and the spirit set their eyes on each other for the first time, and how they wondered when they saw they were of the same species.
And so, in a long chase that become a game full with emotions of sympathy and kinship, Wurshak slayed the evil spirit by turning it to a kind one, and teaching it love to nature and balance between might and compassion. Wurshak and Trinakath, which turned out to be the spirit's name, ruled the lands together, for many many years, and the land had prospered under their rule."

By that stage Galanis was light headed from all the "wetting of his throat". He looks around seeing some excited children and some that fell asleep and smiles to himself. 'Balance...'

[Hordeling]

While Galanis tells his story, Calah sits and listens quietly, idly drumming, slowly and lightly, on the tabletop with her fingertips. Her attention drifts from his telling, to thoughts of her own, and back to the story again. At Galanis's invitation to join in, she simply says, "I think you are doing fine."

[BishGada]

After Galanis finishes his story, he sits back for a while and start humming a commonly known good mood song, hoping to draw their hosts to join him.

[Breila]

Very softly, with a hight sweet voice, Liri starts singing the song... but those close enough hear she doesn't use words, but just sounds... or an alien language.

[Stik]

The children are thrilled by the story, although the younger ones fail to appreciate the impact of the denouement.
The boy who challenged the group, despite being enthralled like the others, tries hard to appear unimpressed. When Suja presses him, he turns to Galanis and says: “Fine, you can have dessert.”

Shortly after the singing begins another voice joins in from outside the hall, a woman’s voice, echoing the song and singing in soft harmony. The singer enters the room a moment later, her voice soft enough not to overpower the singers, but strong enough to be heard.

She is half-elven and dressed for the field, in well worn buckskins. The mop of blond hair on her head looks to be enough two or three people, big curls tied in place by a number of rawhide cords which appear to be near their breaking point. Her skin is tanned, but there is an odd, random pattern of lines and curls on one side of her face where her skin hasn't tanned.

She is followed through the door by a muscular human so tall that he needs to duck his head to enter and so wide that he fills the doorway. His red hair has a touch of grey, but his baby face makes it difficult to guess his age.

The woman stands near the table, still singing, while the man finds a chair and sits down, smiling at the woman, and not speaking.

[Jenara]

Angel sits quietly, her hands folded neatly into her lap.
(Not sure what to add for her...)

[Breila]

Liri looks up when the two newcomers enter, and monitors the hosts' reaction to them closely. At the same time, she gets up and walks close to the woman. She modulates her singing to make it a two-voice improvisation. They now almost look like a duo, blonde and chestnut brown.