A roleplay transcript by Lyrena Auberan and Skolvor Vikaris (played by Iskrin Orin'Darr)
TL;DR Lyrena and Skolvor square up to each other but no blood is shed. Someone wets their pants. Skolvor doesn't get the Sword of Askamran. Lyrena learns something troubling about a friend.
:: Skolvor Vikaris slithered up to the barracks. The horses whinnied nervously as he approached and the guard on duty eyed him with a degree of fear and bravado. "Halt!" the young man shouted. "Halt yoursssself," Skolvor replied with a leer. "Fetch me whoever issssss in charge of thissssss place." The guard thought for a moment and then decided that at the very least backup would be helpful, so he scurried inside.
:: Lyrena Auberan had been in her office in the mean time, another early morning after a not so fulfilling night's sleep. Though Lyrena had noticed some kind of commotion briefly stirring up outside the barracks gates, and later, a bunch of sudden chatter happening within the halls between the Guardians,the Dame Commander remained in her seat until Private Vanyr called for her presence. Together with the Private, the Blood elf exited the building, immediately setting her eyes on the staff-wielding naga seemingly waiting for her. The Blood elf eyed the sorcerer with calmness and caution, studying his gaze and appearance for a few long moments before she called out to Skolvor. "Who are you?", she asked almost callously, as if demanding a justification for this abrupt summon. Though by the look on her face, Skolvor could likely tell Lyrena had a hunch just who her visitor was. His unmistakable appearance likely helped in that regard.
:: Skolvor smiled a faceful of razor-sharp teeth and bowed theatrically. "I am Sssssskolvor of Kyr, mage of Än'vakor," he said with as much charm as he could muster. "And who do I have the pleassssure of addressing?" He looked the Blood elf up and down, noting her custom armor that differed from those of her colleagues. "I asssssume you are sssssomeone important to wear sssssuch lovely metalwork?" he opined. His tongue flicked in and out of his mouth, tasting the air, noting the approximate strength of the guard within the barracks and whatever of the emotions of the Blood elf addressing him he might pick up from her scent.
:: Lyrena watched with a calm but mistrusting squint in her glowing eyes as Skolvor introduced himself and initiated a series of almost sinister pleasantries. "Lyrena Auberan. Dame Commander of the Guardians.", the Sin'dorei proceeded to state, only mildly cordially. The fact that she was already dubious of the infamous sorcerer's visit made her want to cut down on the smalltalk. "The latter bit you knew already.", she clarified, with the slightest dip of her head she pointed to Private Vanyr behind her, whom the naga sorcerer had recently tasked with bringing forth his commander. "Why have you come here, mage?", she then bluntly asked, resting a hand on her hip and leaning to one side.
:: Skolvor twitched his tail in apparent irritation. "Very well, Dame Commander. I sssssshal be direct, ssssssince you ssssseem to wisssh it." He flicked his tongue again. "I come for the ssssssword. You will hand it over to me. It is not sssssafe in your possession." He twisted his wide jaws into what he intended to be a look of empathetic concern, but which probably appeared to be a hideous grimace. "I have the interesssssts of the city in mind," he said. "I have heard newsssssss of your fight with that irressssponsssible idiot, Isssssskrin of Vazynth.
:: Lyrena widened her eyes somewhat as Skolvor nonchalantly mentioned the sword she had recently attained from Iskrin. She locked eyes with the naga again, as if to pry just how he had come to know so quickly that she had confiscated Ke'ntor. The stories she had heard of the mage had given her the impression that Skolvor had few, if any friends in Ansa'fel, and likely no more in the way of sources of information either. "I have heard about you.", the Blood elf then admitted. By her tone, Skolvor could tell it wasn't pleasant things that the Dame Commander had caught ear of. "Somehow, none of it good. Also that you have been in this city not without reason. That you are in search of something.", she added. Her eyes squinted in suspicion again. Her eyes briefly trailed the large teeth in Skolvor's maw. "So this is why. Ke'ntor.", she said, somehow nailing the pronunciation despite being new to it all. Perhaps someone had been teaching her yesterday, or throughout the night… "And why should I give it to you?"
:: Skolvor shrugged his shoulders and stamped the heel of his staff on the ground, igniting a sickly purple glow within the gem embedded in its top. "Becaussssse I will take it," he said, his whispering, hissing voice thick with menace. "I have come to the city to find that sssssword. It isssssss mine by right. It ssssssings to me and I musssssst possessssss it again." As he spoke, he raised his staff aloft, the purple light reflecting in his yellow eyes. "I know you took it. The baker boy admitted it to me as I hypnotized him thissss morning. And now I can feel it here. In our presssence. I know you have it. You will hand it over to me, Lyrena Auberan. It isssss not yoursssss."
:: Lyrena stepped back as Skolvor raised his staff, the purple light it emitted reflecting on her armor. Her previous confidence and calmness was replaced by an immediate air of caution that made her heart start to beat harder. This wasn't a drunk Iskrin whom she had tried to give the benefit of doubt. It was an infamous and shady wizard of great power that she had little reason to believe was bluffing, or merciful. The Dame Commander's head dipped briefly towards the Private behind her. The soldier proceeded to run into the barracks, and bring out three more Guardians with him. Two men and a woman, all bearing shields and swords. Though it likely took a bit of time for them to show up and assume a formation behind their Dame Commander. In the mean time, Lyrena reached for her axe, keeping her eyes on the naga sorcerer in front of her. She gripped it, and took a defensive stance. "You do not want this fight.", the Blood elf tried to threaten with a crude grittiness. She extended her left arm a bit outward, and momentarily, her Sentinel Shield began to assemble.
:: Skolvor watched the Blood elf activate what appeared to be an ancient Sentinel Shield. Something under other circumstances that would have ignited his avarice of rare objects, but which at the moment was a cursory distraction. He moved his staff into a defensive posture, wisps of arcane light licking along its body. He watched a few guard assemble behind the Dame Commander, tasting their fear, surprise and determination with a flick of his tongue. He weighed his options, eying Lyrena angrily. She was right. He did not want this fight. He had a bargain in place with Silmariel, though he could not be certain she would keep her word. Nevertheless, these Guardians would be unlikely to win this battle without magical aid, which meant that the sword was only a moment's work away from being in his possession. But what of the long term repercussions? That prideful fool Malekith would hunt him down if he killed the King's new pet soldier. As he thought through these things, his arm slowly lowered, the light of the staff dimming, but not extinguishing. "Very well," he said at last. "Give me one good reassssson I shouldn't teach you all a lesson and ssssssimply take the sssssword." But it was possible to tell by his tone that he'd already thought of many answers to that. He seemed simply curious what argument the Dame Commander would make and what this would tell him about her character.
:: Lyrena briefly peered past her shoulder at the now four Guardians formed behind her. Two more dips of the Dame Commander's head was seemingly all the group needed to quickly separate into two pairs, and defensively flank the Blood elf on both sides. Some tried to look confident, one or two looked occasionally fearful, needing to readjust the grip on their weapons. Lyrena herself tried to keep her cool, but Skolvor could tell she was tense. Tense, knowing this could escalate any second now. Until it began to seem like the naga sorcerer might relent. Was he bluffing after all, then? Did he decide to stand down after she had called for reinforcements? "I have faced worse odds.", was all the blonde elf said upon Skolvor's taunt. She tried her best to appear like she was ready for a fight right now, even if the doubts within her lingered. She gripped her axe harder, and momentarily, its storm enchantment activated in full. An uneven lattice of lightning struck around the sharp, runed blade, occasionally inducing a much louder clap when two beams collided.
:: Skolvor grinned at such bravado. He had to hand it to this Blood elf - she had balls. He made an intricate sign with the fingers of his left hand and an eldritch light flowed from the staff to his finger tips, pooling in the palm of that hand in a ball of purple fire. He looked at it and smiled. "If I threw thissssss, Dame Commander," he said, his voice quiet and wicked, "it would certainly kill all four of your men and, depending on how much you understand of that shield's true power and how to wield it," he looked at the Sentinel Shield, "you as well, if you are unskilled." He raised his hand to his lips and blew, like a child blowing the seeds of a dandelion. The eldritch light dissipated harmlessly into the air and Skolvor stamped the heel of his staff once more onto the ground, extinguishing the light of the gem. "But I have no fight with you, Guardiansssss of Anssssa`fel. I am not a bad man. I jussssst want that which issssss mine. I sssssugesssst you hand the ssssword to Sssssilmariel," he gestured towards the Bank and Trust on the terrace below them as he said this. "Ssssssshe will keep it sssssafe until I return to fulfill my bargain with her."
:: Lyrena's heart skipped a beat as Skolvor snapped his reptilian digits. Though nothing came of it, the Blood elf couldn't help but imagine every little gesture of his as a potential attack, or a preparation for one. She felt the sweat start to form on her forehead, under her diadem. She peered at the shield Skolvor had referenced. Her own. She had only been in possession of it for a little over a year - not very long at all, as far as any long-lived race would say. "Silmariel?", Lyrena reiterated, almost interrupting Skolvor as he spoke of the Highborne banker. "You have a bargain with her?", the Blood elf asked, loudly. There was surprise in her voice, and on her face. She hadn't quite imagine Lady Silmariel to be the type to make deals with the likes of Skolvor. More importantly, she realized the bargain must have been precisely about Ke'ntor. That was something to think about later… "You and the Lady Silmariel. Both of you have known the sword is here? In Iskrin's possession? For how long?", she decided to ask. For all she knew, the naga would feed her only lies, but there was a curiosity, partly professional, that the blonde could not resist. "And I suggest you leave this city, Mage of Än'vakor.", she later returned Skolvor's advice with a piece of her own. "Because if you threaten the Guardians like this again, there will be a reckoning. This is your only warning.", she said. In the mean time, a certain Private Koznys, a recent elven recruit, had urine start to pour through the gaps of his leg armor, making a puddle under his feet. It didn't exactly help Lyrena's case, who groaned in light annoyance as she briefly spotted the wetting, before returning her attention to Skolvor.
:: Skolvor hissed in response to Lyrena's threat. "You ssssshould mind your mannersssss young one," he said coldly. "I do not threaten the Guardianssss of Ansssssa`fel," he looked around at the guard present behind her, the scent of fresh urine on the air as he tasted it with his tongue. "To threaten these…. children…. would be demeaning to my power." He smiled slyly. "But perhapsssss a demonstration…." As he said this, he made an intricate motion with his free hand and bands of eldritch light formed around the ankles of private Koznys, lifting him slowly into the air and leaving him hanging there, upended with his ankles above his head, rotating slowly as his sword and shield dropped clattering to the ground in the young soldier's panic. "You will not interfere between Sssssilmariel and me," Skolvor intoned, his voice grave. "To do ssssso would be to invite certain death."
:: Lyrena looked up slightly behind her as Private Koznys began to helplessly levitate, and be positioned in the air like a ragdoll. His sword and shield clanged as they fell on the concrete. The Guardian part of Koznys' flank attempted to get the frightened man down to the ground - but Skolvor was levitating him -just- high enough to ensure that would not happen. "You will release him now.", the Dame Commander snapped back, interrupting Skolvor's warning for her not to poke her nose in the naga's business with Silmariel. "Slowly and safely.", she rigidly clarified, knowing Skolvor would drop the armored boy like a rock if she hadn't. She took a few steps forward, and so did the remaining pair of Guardians. "After that, you will leave the city immediately. Or there will be violence.", she promised, gripping her axe harder again, which made the lightning on it stir more wildly.
"Will I?" Skolvor asked, his voice almost bored. "Perhapssssss…" He twirled his fingers and the young private was deposited on the open woodwork of the garrison building, his torso and legs hanging half in and half out of the eaves. "Ssssseeee," Skolvor said with a wicked grin. "Ssssssafe and ssssound." He turned to look at Lyrena, measuring her with a serious, yellow and reptilian gaze. "I do not trussssst Sssssilmariel," he said gravely. "Ssssshe lussssstssss for power. It would be sssssafer all round for you to ssssimply give me the ssssword. Sssssshe cannot be trussssted with it any more than the ssssso-called Firsssssst Esssstril can. I do not even think sssshe will keep her bargain with me."
:: Lyrena Auberan watched with some concern as the naga levitated the helpless Guardian over to the wooden lattices of the the second floor. She grunted in frustration. "Help him.", she ordered Koznys' battle-buddy, who ran into the Barracks and to the second floor. Now, the Dame Commander was only left with two remaining guards by her side. Possibly more experienced than the other pair, one of them assumed Lyrena's unguarded left flank, until the Dame Commander had one Guardian on each side of her. "If you ever come into possession of that accursed sword,", Lyrena started off after a deep breath, her teeth gritting. "It will not be here in Ansa'fel.", she rigidly asserted, her eyes trailing Skolvor's wicked, reptilian orbs. "If I ever see you here, with it, I will rain the full might of the Guardians upon you. And more. Until you are pulp.", she tried to threaten yet again. The growing belief that Skolvor may have been bluffing and not truly looking for a fight returned most of the Blood elf's confidence to her. "Now go.", she barked out again.
:: Skolvor turned his head to one side, a single slitted pupil regarding her coldly. "You have made a missssstake here today, Lyrena Auberan," he said. "The firssssst of many. Having me asssss your ally would have been your bessssst coursssse of action," he intoned. "You have chosssen insssssstead to make me your enemy." He turned away from her, his huge body coiling and shifting on the shining marble of the terrace. "You will live thissssss day," he called over his shoulder. "It will give you the opportunity to reflect on thissss and regret it later. Sssssshould you come to your sssssssensssses and recognize my lawful ownerssssship of the Ssssword of Asssskamran, the magessss will be able to contact me."
:: Lyrena felt the sweat on her start to get cold, against her padding and armor. She was certainly relieved that Skolvor decided to not pursue bloodshed. It was not a fight she was certain she would win, even with her two fellow Guardians standing relatively bravely still by her sides. Her stance relaxed a bit as the naga mage began to coil and turn. She had nothing more to say to him for now. The Blood elf watched as Skolvor slithered farther and farther, already reflecting on his warnings, his threats. She gestured the two Guardians by her side to return to the barracks, and soon after, the Dame Commander followed suit.