A roleplay transcript by Silmariel Quel'silith and Iskrin Orin'Darr (playing as Skolvor)
Skolvor made his way along the rocky shoreline at the edge of Moonwillow Forest, heading in the direction of Summerhall. He watched the waves roll against the rocky beach and flicked his tongue in and out rapidly, tasting the air. The forest was teeming with life, but as far as he could tell, the creatures were giving him a wide birth. Wise of them to do so, he thought idly. His anger had subsided since the encounter with the Guardian at the bank and he felt almost peaceful. In a sense, he was looking forward to confronting Silmariel. It had been many years since he had seen the mage and it would be pleasing to challenge her once more. He had no intention of killing her - unless he absolutely had to - but some test of each other's power would no doubt be needed. Lost in thought, he slithered along in the afternoon sun.
Lady Silmariel Quel'silith was one creature of the forest who had no intention of giving him a wide berth; in fact she quite expected of him the reverse, and she was more than a little annoyed at the moment that he was not meeting this expectation. At a curve in the road along the beach he would find her, standing atop a rocky outcropping. Of course she had a pretty good guess already exactly what this was about, even before she'd received the report from her staff at the bank.
"Skolvor Vikaris," came that refined, imperious voice when he came into view, the Lady lofting one eyebrow as she spoke. "I assume that you did not breach our agreement, come all this way, and risk my unspeakable wrath just to open a no-fee checking account."
Skolvor came to a halt at the sound of a familiar and wretched voice, and a moment later his yellow reptilian eyes saw the mage standing on a rock. "You're sssstill not funny," he hissed. His voice, though an unpleasant whisper, could carry over large distances when he needed it to. "Sssssilmariel Quel'ssssilith, ssssso kind of you to wait for me. I hope I haven't kept you long."
Silmariel smirked. "Not at all. I only just arrived," she mused. Arcane energies seemed to have gathered about her like a thunderhead on the horizon, giving ominous hints of a possible storm to come.
"We had an arrangement. Gethspar is your domain; Sa'viir-Arin belongs to me. Yet here you are on the wrong side of the mountains, and without the trinket that made you anything like a match for me." In truth the Än'vakorite was one of the few beings she'd met that she reckoned a peer in the arcane arts, and the sword hadn't made quite this much of a difference, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. "Which, I presume, is what you are looking for."
Skolvor watched the mage through narrowed eyes. He tapped the bottom of his staff gently on the ground and the gem set within it began to glow. "Jussssst a precaution," he said with a toothy smile. "Our arrangement wasssss one of convenience, Sssssilmariel. It isssss no longer convenient. I have felt the ssssword return to the world and I will have it. I ssssusssspected you would know where it issss, or perhapsssss even finally have it in your possession."
Silmariel laughed, genuinely amused. "Convenience indeed! I suppose survival is a form of convenience. I wounded more than your pride that day. I'm pleased to see a quarter-century more than sufficed for convalescence." A wolfish smile crossed her face, clearly she was as ready for what this -might- turn into as he was. "All the same, I would just as soon be entirely rid of the Sword of Askamran, vile thing that it is, but alas, I do not have it. Dreadfully sorry to disappoint."
"You lie!" he hissed, his voice rising in anger. "Of courssssse you have it. Or you have plansssss to get it. I know you Ssssssilmariel." He flicked his tongue in thought for a moment, allowing his irritation to subside. "But tell me, Lady of Sssssumerhall, why do you claim you wish to be rid of that which you yearn to possess?"
Silmariel shrugged. "I would be rid of it, because trouble follows that blade like a cloud. This is the last place I want it to be. If I came across it, I would destroy it, or cast it so far none would ever find it again. Unless of course you can give me a more enticing reason to do otherwise."
Skolvor flicked his tongue. "You anssssswer impliessss knowledge of itssss location. Why dissssscusss otherwise?" He thought for a moment. "Very well, Sssssilmariel. If you give me the sssssword, I will return to obsssserving our arrangemet."
Silmariel smiled. "You will have to do better than that. You've already broken the arrangement, and so your word can no longer be trusted to observe it. I could simply kill you, and never have to worry about this arrangement again, and then do with the sword as I will, but alas this banter we have is so very entertaining, and I would miss it. Care to sweeten the pot, or shall we begin?"
Skolvor looked at the mage, weighing his options. "I never claimed my word wassss worth anything," he said with a shrug of his huge shoulders. He mulled the situation over in his mind. A little test of strength, or a good faith negotiation. Such a difficult decision. Her talk was certainly not all bluster - she had some talent, he would concede - but if the sword could be gained without personal risk… that might be something. He brought his staff down to a defensive position across his body, still thinking things over. "I would need proof you have it, or can obtain it before I am willing to disssscusss termssss," he said.
Silmariel pondered this. "I don't currently possess the sword, but I know who does," she answered. "After you were relieved of it it spent twenty years in the tender custody of the High King himself. You would not have sensed it, because his are the only vaults in the kingdom as well warded as my own. However, the sword has recently arrived here, and moreover it will come into my possession soon." She smiled, an idea coming to her. "Let's make this interesting. Do you still have the Blade of Ryzzar?" she asked. "A fortnight from today, a straight up exchange. Sword for sword, our agreement remains in force, and both of us remain alive. That will give me the time to make my arrangements, you the time to recover the Blade of Ryzzar from wherever you have it stashed, and if I do not have it then, I'm sure by then you will have figured out who does and even one such as I has little doubt you would prevail with both swords in hand."
Skolvor's nostrils flared. "The Blade of Ryzzar," he said calmly, masking the shock he felt at her knowledge of it. "It hasssss come into my possession, I won't deny it. But it isssss worth more than the Sssssword of Asssskamran. You ssssurely know itsssss power." He shifted on his muscular tail, dropping his defensive arm a little as he thought. "Why do you want it?" he asked suspiciously. "You wouldn't know how to usssse it." He chuckled to himself. A sort of rasping, choking sound in the back of his throat. "Why not jussssst tell me who hasssss Ke'ntor, and I will relive them of it mysssself?"
"Mmm. As they say, when you're good at something, never do it for free," she answered. "And, perhaps I wouldn't. Maybe I just think it would just look pretty on my wall. At any rate, the Sword of Askamran is worth enough to you that you've risked your life to come here and face me for it. You're not a reckless fellow, Skolvor. I know it sings to you, and that you would carry it always. The Blade of Ryzzar…. is not even here, despite the risk of your visit. Which sword is worth more is immaterial. What matters is which sword is worth more to -you-."
Skolvor smiled and shook his head. "Your tongue isssss more oiled than the merchantsssss of Kanrill," he said in resignation. "You sssspeak true, curssse you. I hear the ssssswordsssssong even now, like an itch in my mind." He lowered his staff, deactivating the gem. "Very well, Ssssssilmariel Quel'ssssilith, Lady of Ssssssumerhall. I will make the trade you requessssst. I will bring you the Blade of Ryzzar and you will give me the Sssssword of Asssskamran. And I sssshall live on my ssssside of the mountainsssss and you on yoursssss."
"Bargained well and done," she said with a smile, golden eyes shining. "And so it shall be. I'll see you in two weeks, then."
Skolvor nodded. "In two weeksssss," he confirmed and turned from the path he had been on, slinking off into the trees.