Re: The Cold Road
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:53 pm
A different inn, a different bed, a different girl.
This time Xujja didnt try to get up early when he woke, he instead reached for his book and decided to read until Lace had woken up herself. When the two had curled up in the bed together she had mentioned how nice it would be to wake to more of their passions, and the young tiefling had every intention of waiting for her to wake.
He sat up in the bed with the book on his lap, one gray hand rested on Laces head, stroking her hair. She stirred slightly and cuddled closer, still asleep.
Xujja felt a sense of well being, a comfort with more substance than the physical comforts of a soft bed in a dark room. His black eyes drifted away from the pages of the book and over the sleeping form of the redheaded girl lying next to him.
Where does a persons value really come from? Certainly not from the opinions of others... but isnt my own craving for women just really a need to be accepted? Can your worth come from what you know? Who you have killed? Or saved from death?
****************************************************************************
The tiefling boy was just barely 15 years old, and scrawny. He wore rags and heavy chains like all the other captives that day. The door on the top of his overcrowded cage swung open and a ladder was lowered. Spear tips descended into the crowd of slaves and singled the tiefling out, poking and prodding him to ascend the ladder.
The sounds of the city grew louder, almost deafening as he came up out of the pit and onto the stage.
Around him was spread the black and smoky city of Luskan, a few approving nods came from the crowd waiting to buy slaves as they saw a tiefling come up for sale.
Xujja was horrified at the curling plumes of smoke from all over the cityscape. The stench of the city was just as bad as its sight, and its citizens looked no more pleasant. A spear stuck into his back, pushing him further out onto the stage.
A beautiful woman in spiked armor and wearing the symbol of a lash made the first bid. One coin.
One coin for a scrawny human child might have been enough to secure a purchase, but the scrawny child was a tiefling. A muscular orc with skin so dark it looked soot-black made the next bid.
The bidding between the two went back and forth till the blonde woman declared. "I am not spending more than 10 coins on a sacrifice, tiefling or not."
The orcs final bid stood, a bell rang signaling the sale. Xujja was dragged off by a guard as the next captive from below was brought up for auction.
12 coins. Xujja was worth 12 coins.
*****************************************************************************
Marcus was wasting time. He seemed interested enough in talking to the girl, but when she actually gave him any attention he became meek and pensive.
The young wizard that had interrupted their walk to talk to them, to Lace... but now he seemed to be looking for a way out of the topics the girl seemed to love talking about. His face grew red when she spoke of indulgences and wild free passions.
"But you lay with /any/ man? All men? Old ones, fat ones? Poor ones?"
Marcus hesitated a moment before adding more.
"I Really prefer getting to know someone first. If you just give it away to anyone, it becomes worthless."
Xujja had grown bored of the conversation and turned to watch a wolf across the river as it sniffed about for something to eat. For a flicker of a moment he was jealous of the wolf, Xujja was sure the wolf never had to endure such boredom as hearing Marcus grow more and more meek by the moment.
Just when he thought it wouldnt possibly get any worse... Marcus invited himself along, and Lace agreed.
Aside from the boring conversation, Xujja had no care to waste a moment in the company of one of the helmites errand boys. The city mans rejection of Ingriss had worked out pretty well for Xujja, but that didnt endear him to the tiefling at all.
No girl, even one as beautiful as Lace, was worth keeping the company of folks like that. When they were ready to continue down the road, Xujja made his goodbyes.
"Ill let you two get on your way" He said.
The other two asked the predictable questions that he wasnt listening to as he walked off, he called out his farewell over his shoulder.
"Stay sharp."
*****************************************************************************
"Eight! Nine! Ten!" The lashmaster called out each time the whip connected to the scrawny boys back.
It was tradition, to teach the slaves their place... they were introduced to the whip with ten lashings, just so they would know what to fear for failure or disobedience.
Xujja had watched 6 other slaves go before him, and after each of their beatings they were offered a sick bargain.
A priest of the Tyrant stood nearby, offering salvation. Those who broke and wanted out so very bad they were willing to sell their souls were given the chance. If they but gave up their gods for Bane, they would be paid one coin a month for their slavery.... once they paid for themselves they could become free men and slavemasters themselves.
Xujja felt like vomiting each time he saw one of his tribe bowing to city gods like Bane, even the ones who hated and beat him back home. Xujja witnessed this 4 times in the six people going before him. He began to fear his own reaction when it happened to him.
His ten lashes were done, he knew what was coming next and he didnt even want to be tempted. He lifted himself up, trying to stand, and came up with an idea. He said something that partly true and partly a design to evade any words with the priest.
Xujja turned and looked and the giant orc lashmaster and forced a smile.
"Pathetic.... Bane my ass! My /mother/ beat me harder than that, you cock-swallowing weakling!"
He didnt have to sit through the preaching, instead he was treated to 10 more lashes for defiance... and then 10 again when he tired to bite the guard taking him away.
Xujja learned that day that spite and rage were two possessions that could not be taken from anyone, even a slave. In chains, in rags, in slavery... Xujja still owned treasures his mother had given him.
***************************************************************************
Ingriss had left him alone to go into the village. Xujja remained where he was in the shade of the trees outside Rivermoot, reading the book Ingirss had gotten him just a few days earlier.
At first he thought the sound of approaching boots was Ingriss returning, so he kept reading. The boots didnt return to her place however, and so Xujja looked up to see who it was.
He had to blink in suprise, the girl standing there was a gorgeous stranger. After a moment to take in the girls appearance he noted the bright red flower she wore in her hair.
Red flower on a tempting girl... a bad omen.
As she came up and sat down next to him he decided he would have to be a bit rude or something to get rid of her. He was thankful that Ingriss finally returned to distract her.
He was set on ignoring the pretty girl and letting Ingriss talk to her... but when introductions were made, he changed his mind.
"I am Lace Winters, of Sembia. She said.
Thats a much bigger, better, omen than a red flower. This girl has a holy name.
Ingriss saw the shift in her friends attitude, and even moreso when Lace began sharing the Dogma and philosophies of her goddess, Sharess.
Ingriss smiled wide and gave Xujja a little wink as she made an excuse to leave them alone.
****************************************************************************
The young tiefling straddled the goblin as it was trying to get away. Xujjas arms were filling out from all the work he had been doing in service to Luskan, and he was putting those muscles to good use now.
Over and over again he hammered his gray fists into the goblins face while the rest of his chain-gang watched. No one made a move to stop them, in fact the rest of the slaves on his chain looked on rather eager. No matter who won... /someone/ was going in the cooking pot. That meant a slight increase in that days rations.
It was the first thing he had ever killed, besides fish and bugs. Xujjas bloody fists still hammered down on the broken skull several more times after the thing went limp.
*****************************************************************************
Xujja saw Lace again a few days later at High Hold. She sat back down with him and complained for a long time about the bookish men who thought their studies and roommates were more interesting than her.
He was thankful that the girls time with Marcus had gone poorly, as he had hoped she might come around himself more often.
They sat there talking for the whole day, even enduring the company of the gnome that Xujja knew only as "snot-nose". The gnome seemed to have said everything he could to discourage the girl from dallying with Xujja. But when he pointed out how many girls the tiefling had been with, this only encouraged her to sit closer.
Once they had gotten rid of the gnome they returned to sharing Winterwine and talking about more interesting things, each other.
"So on another subject..." she said as she settled closer.
"Whats that?"
Xujja thought it very strange that such a normally forward girl would blush, but she did when she spoke.
"I am rather curious as to how you... kiss."
"Well theres only one way to find that out."
Xujjas was pretty wrapped up in the moment, but he still took a second to "accidentally" knock the red flower from her ear as they started to tear off each others clothes and armor.
There, in the grass on the side of the road within sight of High Hold, the two pushed their kisses further and further till they were deep into their impassioned lovemaking. The two had spent the whole day talking, and now spent the whole night locked together.
The two lusty lovers were so wrapped up in their moment and each other that they didnt even notice the halforc Gruuhilda stop to watch them mating a moment before walking on. No one but them existed for those hours from their first kiss till when the rising sun warmed their exhausted flesh.
****************************************************************************
Heh... glad no one came by to see that.
Most people will seek out a bed when the chance to mate surprises them, not so for the two lying in the grass amidst their scattered armor and gear. It was only after they were done that one of them mentioned a bed.
Lace looked up at him from where her head had been resting on his chest. "That was wonderful... I really needed that, and now I need a bed."
"How about we share one?"
Lace smiled wide for him again. "Id like that a lot, lets go."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks again to everyone still reading my stories.... and thanks to those players that have, by their RP and encouragement, gotten me to get back in the habit of writing.
J
This time Xujja didnt try to get up early when he woke, he instead reached for his book and decided to read until Lace had woken up herself. When the two had curled up in the bed together she had mentioned how nice it would be to wake to more of their passions, and the young tiefling had every intention of waiting for her to wake.
He sat up in the bed with the book on his lap, one gray hand rested on Laces head, stroking her hair. She stirred slightly and cuddled closer, still asleep.
Xujja felt a sense of well being, a comfort with more substance than the physical comforts of a soft bed in a dark room. His black eyes drifted away from the pages of the book and over the sleeping form of the redheaded girl lying next to him.
Where does a persons value really come from? Certainly not from the opinions of others... but isnt my own craving for women just really a need to be accepted? Can your worth come from what you know? Who you have killed? Or saved from death?
****************************************************************************
The tiefling boy was just barely 15 years old, and scrawny. He wore rags and heavy chains like all the other captives that day. The door on the top of his overcrowded cage swung open and a ladder was lowered. Spear tips descended into the crowd of slaves and singled the tiefling out, poking and prodding him to ascend the ladder.
The sounds of the city grew louder, almost deafening as he came up out of the pit and onto the stage.
Around him was spread the black and smoky city of Luskan, a few approving nods came from the crowd waiting to buy slaves as they saw a tiefling come up for sale.
Xujja was horrified at the curling plumes of smoke from all over the cityscape. The stench of the city was just as bad as its sight, and its citizens looked no more pleasant. A spear stuck into his back, pushing him further out onto the stage.
A beautiful woman in spiked armor and wearing the symbol of a lash made the first bid. One coin.
One coin for a scrawny human child might have been enough to secure a purchase, but the scrawny child was a tiefling. A muscular orc with skin so dark it looked soot-black made the next bid.
The bidding between the two went back and forth till the blonde woman declared. "I am not spending more than 10 coins on a sacrifice, tiefling or not."
The orcs final bid stood, a bell rang signaling the sale. Xujja was dragged off by a guard as the next captive from below was brought up for auction.
12 coins. Xujja was worth 12 coins.
*****************************************************************************
Marcus was wasting time. He seemed interested enough in talking to the girl, but when she actually gave him any attention he became meek and pensive.
The young wizard that had interrupted their walk to talk to them, to Lace... but now he seemed to be looking for a way out of the topics the girl seemed to love talking about. His face grew red when she spoke of indulgences and wild free passions.
"But you lay with /any/ man? All men? Old ones, fat ones? Poor ones?"
Marcus hesitated a moment before adding more.
"I Really prefer getting to know someone first. If you just give it away to anyone, it becomes worthless."
Xujja had grown bored of the conversation and turned to watch a wolf across the river as it sniffed about for something to eat. For a flicker of a moment he was jealous of the wolf, Xujja was sure the wolf never had to endure such boredom as hearing Marcus grow more and more meek by the moment.
Just when he thought it wouldnt possibly get any worse... Marcus invited himself along, and Lace agreed.
Aside from the boring conversation, Xujja had no care to waste a moment in the company of one of the helmites errand boys. The city mans rejection of Ingriss had worked out pretty well for Xujja, but that didnt endear him to the tiefling at all.
No girl, even one as beautiful as Lace, was worth keeping the company of folks like that. When they were ready to continue down the road, Xujja made his goodbyes.
"Ill let you two get on your way" He said.
The other two asked the predictable questions that he wasnt listening to as he walked off, he called out his farewell over his shoulder.
"Stay sharp."
*****************************************************************************
"Eight! Nine! Ten!" The lashmaster called out each time the whip connected to the scrawny boys back.
It was tradition, to teach the slaves their place... they were introduced to the whip with ten lashings, just so they would know what to fear for failure or disobedience.
Xujja had watched 6 other slaves go before him, and after each of their beatings they were offered a sick bargain.
A priest of the Tyrant stood nearby, offering salvation. Those who broke and wanted out so very bad they were willing to sell their souls were given the chance. If they but gave up their gods for Bane, they would be paid one coin a month for their slavery.... once they paid for themselves they could become free men and slavemasters themselves.
Xujja felt like vomiting each time he saw one of his tribe bowing to city gods like Bane, even the ones who hated and beat him back home. Xujja witnessed this 4 times in the six people going before him. He began to fear his own reaction when it happened to him.
His ten lashes were done, he knew what was coming next and he didnt even want to be tempted. He lifted himself up, trying to stand, and came up with an idea. He said something that partly true and partly a design to evade any words with the priest.
Xujja turned and looked and the giant orc lashmaster and forced a smile.
"Pathetic.... Bane my ass! My /mother/ beat me harder than that, you cock-swallowing weakling!"
He didnt have to sit through the preaching, instead he was treated to 10 more lashes for defiance... and then 10 again when he tired to bite the guard taking him away.
Xujja learned that day that spite and rage were two possessions that could not be taken from anyone, even a slave. In chains, in rags, in slavery... Xujja still owned treasures his mother had given him.
***************************************************************************
Ingriss had left him alone to go into the village. Xujja remained where he was in the shade of the trees outside Rivermoot, reading the book Ingirss had gotten him just a few days earlier.
At first he thought the sound of approaching boots was Ingriss returning, so he kept reading. The boots didnt return to her place however, and so Xujja looked up to see who it was.
He had to blink in suprise, the girl standing there was a gorgeous stranger. After a moment to take in the girls appearance he noted the bright red flower she wore in her hair.
Red flower on a tempting girl... a bad omen.
As she came up and sat down next to him he decided he would have to be a bit rude or something to get rid of her. He was thankful that Ingriss finally returned to distract her.
He was set on ignoring the pretty girl and letting Ingriss talk to her... but when introductions were made, he changed his mind.
"I am Lace Winters, of Sembia. She said.
Thats a much bigger, better, omen than a red flower. This girl has a holy name.
Ingriss saw the shift in her friends attitude, and even moreso when Lace began sharing the Dogma and philosophies of her goddess, Sharess.
Ingriss smiled wide and gave Xujja a little wink as she made an excuse to leave them alone.
****************************************************************************
The young tiefling straddled the goblin as it was trying to get away. Xujjas arms were filling out from all the work he had been doing in service to Luskan, and he was putting those muscles to good use now.
Over and over again he hammered his gray fists into the goblins face while the rest of his chain-gang watched. No one made a move to stop them, in fact the rest of the slaves on his chain looked on rather eager. No matter who won... /someone/ was going in the cooking pot. That meant a slight increase in that days rations.
It was the first thing he had ever killed, besides fish and bugs. Xujjas bloody fists still hammered down on the broken skull several more times after the thing went limp.
*****************************************************************************
Xujja saw Lace again a few days later at High Hold. She sat back down with him and complained for a long time about the bookish men who thought their studies and roommates were more interesting than her.
He was thankful that the girls time with Marcus had gone poorly, as he had hoped she might come around himself more often.
They sat there talking for the whole day, even enduring the company of the gnome that Xujja knew only as "snot-nose". The gnome seemed to have said everything he could to discourage the girl from dallying with Xujja. But when he pointed out how many girls the tiefling had been with, this only encouraged her to sit closer.
Once they had gotten rid of the gnome they returned to sharing Winterwine and talking about more interesting things, each other.
"So on another subject..." she said as she settled closer.
"Whats that?"
Xujja thought it very strange that such a normally forward girl would blush, but she did when she spoke.
"I am rather curious as to how you... kiss."
"Well theres only one way to find that out."
Xujjas was pretty wrapped up in the moment, but he still took a second to "accidentally" knock the red flower from her ear as they started to tear off each others clothes and armor.
There, in the grass on the side of the road within sight of High Hold, the two pushed their kisses further and further till they were deep into their impassioned lovemaking. The two had spent the whole day talking, and now spent the whole night locked together.
The two lusty lovers were so wrapped up in their moment and each other that they didnt even notice the halforc Gruuhilda stop to watch them mating a moment before walking on. No one but them existed for those hours from their first kiss till when the rising sun warmed their exhausted flesh.
****************************************************************************
Heh... glad no one came by to see that.
Most people will seek out a bed when the chance to mate surprises them, not so for the two lying in the grass amidst their scattered armor and gear. It was only after they were done that one of them mentioned a bed.
Lace looked up at him from where her head had been resting on his chest. "That was wonderful... I really needed that, and now I need a bed."
"How about we share one?"
Lace smiled wide for him again. "Id like that a lot, lets go."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks again to everyone still reading my stories.... and thanks to those players that have, by their RP and encouragement, gotten me to get back in the habit of writing.
J