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| Creating Life | |
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| Topic Started: Sat Jan 2, 2010 4:10 am (655 Views) | |
| The Ragdoll | Sat Jan 2, 2010 4:10 am Post #1 |
 
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The Ragdoll trudged on through the desert, knowing not why he arrived here, or where he would end up. The Ragdoll knew nothing. He was created, and he wasn't human. He had no personality, and carried only a quarterstaff and a lute. His ability to play the lute had some reason behind it. His ability to sing went with it. He was a bard, and he needed to make a life for himself. |
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| Laneer | Sat Jan 2, 2010 10:19 pm Post #2 |
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Laneer brushed at his pant leg with frustration as he tried to find its original color. The dust storm that had passed the previous night had left him sleeping beneath a new dune, and the scratch of dirt and grit in his tight leather ensemble was eating away at his sanity. The camel which followed him chewed incessently and smelled of manure but otherwise gave no recognition to Laneer's plight. The beast was a sight in itself, Laneer's more than ample supply of water decorated across the camel's back and neck like a float. To the camel's sides, large clay vases made hollow swishing sounds as the liquid within rocked with each step. Across its neck, waterskins fell haphazardly and appeared like ornate dreadlocks. Overzealous but functional, perhaps more telling of Laneer's personality than he realized. The ancient mage and impromptu planeswalker concerned himself only with his pants as he walked, unknowingly approaching another creature silly enough to be crossing the desert. Laneer looked up and did not hide his surprise as he saw the man for the first time. His cursory look told him that his new company did not carry enough water for more than a few hours, but Laneer judged the nearest settlement to be the greater part of a day in any direction. He squinted his eyes to avoid a gust of dirt before calling out. "Ahoy bandit!" Laneer's assumption jumping from his lips, "Have you any newfound trinkets for trade?" |
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| The Ragdoll | Sat Jan 2, 2010 10:56 pm Post #3 |
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Along came a man close to his own height, with much more bulk than the frail and unappealing Ragdoll. He seemed very ostentatious in the way he appeared. The Ragdoll's natural abilities told him that the man was not an evil one. "Ahoy bandit!" The accusation was quick and to the point, "Have you any newfound trinkets for trade?" A bandit? Bandits were mere scum, and the assumption made The Ragdoll assume this newcomer was quick to jump to a conclusion. He had not even said a word to the man and found him incredibly arrogant. He was not alone, as behind him came a camel. The Ragdoll picked up an awful odor almost instantly, which prevented him from making note of its heavy supply of water. "I am no bandit, I am merely lost," The Ragdoll replied. "Obviously I have nothing to give you." It then became apparent that The Ragdoll would be an easy target for a thief, but then again it was possible this man actually could help him. |
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| Laneer | Sat Jan 2, 2010 11:14 pm Post #4 |
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Laneer waved off the statement with his hand as though it were a fly that was pestering him, or perhaps more likely, his camel. He had acquired the animal temporarily. He was sure to give the spitting beast back as soon as its rightful owner discovered that the pouch of gold Laneer had paid was actually a pouch of assorted iron disks. Ever thrifty, he presumed to make it across the desert and have the camel bathed before the camel driver could give proper chase. Any moment without the terrible odor was worth more than a simple bag of gold, Laneer wagered. He hoped it would inspire the muddy desert merchant to wash the remainder of his animals and then, if the primes were smiling, himself. This action was for the greater good of Istan. "You are in the Istan Desert, m'boy!" Laneer cheerfully explained as he approached the lonely bard. "A simple problem to solve! Perhaps the more difficult question is how does one decide that wandering through a desert without a pack animal is a good idea?" Laneer offered Ragdoll a toothy smile, showing curiously clean teeth, before brushing some sand away from a waterskin and taking a mouthful of refreshing liquid. Clear droplets fell from the side of Laneer's chin as he added a thought, "You at least have that knowledge to give to me." |
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| The Ragdoll | Sat Jan 2, 2010 11:23 pm Post #5 |
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"You are in the Istan Desert, m'boy!" The man announced while nearing him. "A simple problem to solve! Perhaps the more difficult question is how does one decide that wandering through a desert without a pack animal is a good idea?" He smiled, giving The Ragdoll a glance at his incredibly clean teeth. The extravagent traveler brushed some sand away from his waterskin and taking in a nice gulp. Water droplets running down his face, he suggested, "You at least have that knowledge to give to me." "I honestly have no idea," The Ragdoll said. He was not thirsty. He was not hungry. He was starting to get warm, but only slightly. "I awoke here about a mile back," The Ragdoll began. "I don't understand what happened before I got here or anything." The Ragdoll began to look over his lute before adding, "I don't even know how I got this lute, and I surely don't know how to play it." |
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| Laneer | Sat Jan 2, 2010 11:41 pm Post #6 |
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"Well then it is a bit of a mystery, right m'boy!" Laneer said with a chuckle. He strapped the waterskin back to his leg with a loose string that had come from a frayed rope. Laneer's critical eye fell to the lute that Ragdoll held with him. He could discern no enchantments or magic, something that he almost expected to find. He had met few people in this land who were completely lost, fewer still who remained alive in the desert. The lute was depressingly normal, but something caught the mage's eye. He moved in closer to take a look at a spot near Ragdoll's hand. In reality, he was looking at Ragdoll's hand. "A mystery indeed," Laneer mumbled as he straightened himself once again. He patted his sleeves with his palms to let another faint cloud of dust fall away from his person and return to the merciless desert once more. "Satisfy my curiosity m'boy, but if you do not know how you came to be in this desert nor anything else that you care to mention, how do you know that you cannot use that contraption? Have you given it a pluck?" |
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| The Ragdoll | Sat Jan 2, 2010 11:53 pm Post #7 |
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"Well then it is a bit of a mystery, right m'boy!" He chuckled. The waterskin was soon being strapped to the back of his leg. He analyzed the lute, specifically the way The Ragdoll held it or so. "A mystery indeed," he mumbled, patting away some dust. "Satisfy my curiosity m'boy, but if you do not know how you came to be in this desert nor anything else that you care to mention, how do you know that you cannot use that contraption? Have you given it a pluck?" This was true... "I wouldn't expect myself capable of playing an instrument if I never have attempted it," The Ragdoll explained. He then made a single strum. Something in his head said G to him, but he did not know why. The sound was high-pitched, and it felt familiar. Why did he have the lute? |
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| The Ragdoll | Sat Jan 2, 2010 11:54 pm Post #8 |
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"Well then it is a bit of a mystery, right m'boy!" He chuckled. The waterskin was soon being strapped to the back of his leg. He analyzed the lute, specifically the way The Ragdoll held it or so. "A mystery indeed," he mumbled, patting away some dust. "Satisfy my curiosity m'boy, but if you do not know how you came to be in this desert nor anything else that you care to mention, how do you know that you cannot use that contraption? Have you given it a pluck?" This was true... "I wouldn't expect myself capable of playing an instrument if I never have attempted it," The Ragdoll explained. He then made a single strum. Something in his head said G to him, but he did not know why. The sound was high-pitched, and it felt familiar. Why did he have the lute? |
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| Laneer | Sun Jan 3, 2010 12:09 am Post #9 |
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The single note carried well through the hot desert air. Laneer claimed more water from the skin while Ragdoll looked at the instrument. "Well, it did not burst into flames, so I suppose there's a musical bone in there somewhere m'boy," Laneer judged. "A bit boring, being one note and all, but I suppose it was a decent note at that." Laneer tilted his head back and let the last drops of the skin fall into his waiting mouth. He looked quizically at the empty waterskin for a moment before turning away to fetch another from the camel. He tucked the empty container beneath a blanket that was held down by a series of ropes and harvested one of the dreadlocks from the camel's neck before returning his gaze to Ragdoll. "Tell you what, not bandit," Laneer began bargaining. "I know where I am going, and you do not. It also just so happens that I will probably cross where you suddenly awoke. We will see if we cannot find out what happened to you and then get out of this dirt infested hell. All you have to do is pluck at that contraption a bit more to keep my mind off of this cursed sun until we figure out what is going on in that head of yours." It was not necessarily a deal that could be haggled. Laneer tugged on the camel's reigns and began walking forward. His thoughts fell away from Ragdoll's response and moved inward. He considered the curious gleam on Ragdoll's skin. It was somehow not natural, somehow less than human. He wanted to verify this boy's story for himself. The possibilities in his mind were beginning to multiply and were starting to give him a headache. |
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| The Ragdoll | Sun Jan 3, 2010 1:44 am Post #10 |
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"Well, it did not burst into flames, so I suppose there's a musical bone in there somewhere m'boy," The man decided. "A bit boring, being one note and all, but I suppose it was a decent note at that." "Tell you what, not bandit. I know where I am going, and you do not. It also just so happens that I will probably cross where you suddenly awoke. We will see if we cannot find out what happened to you and then get out of this dirt infested hell. All you have to do is pluck at that contraption a bit more to keep my mind off of this cursed sun until we figure out what is going on in that head of yours." As he began to leave, The Ragdoll was to decide quickly to follow him or to stay to himself and try to find his way. He did want to experiment with the lute after all. "I'll do it," he said, before following behind, plucking at the lute with a series of eighth notes in various pitches and volumes, doing his best to make an interesting sound with the instrument. |
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| Laneer | Sun Jan 3, 2010 7:27 am Post #11 |
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"Well of course you'll do it," Laneer commented over his shoulder as he walked toward the non-descript horizon. The sun acted as his only compass. "It does not sound like you have any better option, m'boy." Laneer had begun to ignore when his boots slipped into loose sand and sank him several inches into the hot desert. It did little to slow him down. He was already moving at a snail's pace. He took comfort in the ample supply of water that bobbed behind him but the sun still took its toll. Fortunately, the curious arrangement of notes distracted him. It was not beautiful or tactful in execution, but his mind was aflutter with how truly bad it really was. He wanted miraculous lyric and flawless composition, but he dealt with haphazard notes. The camel offered no opinion in either direction. "You're really going to have to speak to someone about that bottom string, lad. It needs tightening as much as you need a lesson," Laneer laughed. "Just keep your eyes open and away from your hands, I need you to point out when you recognize something familiar. This patch of land looks the same as the last one to me, you see. I cannot very well help you solve this mystery if we walk past the scene of the action, now can I?" |
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| The Ragdoll | Sun Jan 3, 2010 7:49 pm Post #12 |
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Again with the "m'boy" the man spoke. The Ragdoll played on for the nameless to him. "You're really going to have to speak to someone about that bottom string, lad. It needs tightening as much as you need a lesson," He said with a laugh. "Just keep your eyes open and away from your hands, I need you to point out when you recognize something familiar. This patch of land looks the same as the last one to me, you see. I cannot very well help you solve this mystery if we walk past the scene of the action, now can I?" Oh, the slightly obnoxious comment affected him, but he understood where it was coming from, as he wasn't a professional in the least. Following orders, The Ragdoll did look around. Familiar? He would need to know what could possibly be familiar about a desert. Then it came to him..... "There..." he said, pointing to a spot with a slight deformation in the smooth sands. Marching away from the abnormality was a barely visible trail of footprints. This was where he appeared. By the looks of the situation he was either warped there or dropped from above. Why could he not remember? |
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| Laneer | Thu Jan 7, 2010 3:41 am Post #13 |
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"There?" Laneer repeated with a hint of confusion. He scanned the loose dirt for a moment before he made out the footprints that remained. A cursory glance down at the Ragdoll's feet helped him confirm the owners of the abandoned tracks. So, the boy was not untruthful, he had been here before. Unfortunately Laneer had not added master tracker to his list of accomplishments, preferring easier methods, such as apathy. Still, he was intrigued. Only one set of tracks was visible. The mage waved his hands to silently quiet any clarifications that his companion would muster while walking toward the divit which seemed to be the birthplace of the footprints. Laneer bent downward and stared at the surface of the sand briefly without any motion. He ran his fingers through the heart of the dent and brought back up some sand beneath his nails. His experienced eyes squinted and looked at the tiny grains as they glittered in the sunlight before standing up and brushing off his pant legs. "So this is the place," Laneer confirmed Ragdoll's statement as though it were actually under debate. "So tell me, m'boy, why is it that I only see one set of footprints? Did you fall asleep in the sandstorm?" |
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| The Ragdoll | Thu Jan 7, 2010 4:22 am Post #14 |
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"Honestly, I don't know," The Ragdoll confessed. "I don't remember anything before I got here." He thought back to his awakening. He was completely alone until he came to meet this man. He had a lute and a quarterstaff. He didn't even have a name! "I'm not sure if I got head trauma, I don't know if my memory was erased, and I don't know if I'm being tricked by someone," said The Ragdoll. "What I shall do, I do not know." |
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| Laneer | Thu Jan 7, 2010 4:34 am Post #15 |
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Laneer crossed his arms and listened to Ragdoll's explanation. It was summarily lacking in details. He felt as if he knew this strange man more intimately than the man knew himself. Laneer shook his head at the question and turned to look at the dent in the sand one more time. The ancient mage squatted one more time to comb the dirt where Ragdoll supposedly awoke while speaking over his shoulder, "Simple my boy!" Laneer's fingers ran across something solid beneath the sand and he brought it to the surface discretely to see what treasure he had discovered. "We continue on our way out of this wretched desert and we'll find you a cold drink, a lesson or two for that contraption of yours, and someone to keep you warm at night. Plenty of lads would agree to such an arrangement, even those who know who they are!" Laneer squinted as he appraised a crude ornament. The chain of the necklace had been lost, but the pendant remained. If it was magical, it was dormant or severely weakened. The craftsmanship was sound enough. Laneer considered his find for a moment before deciding that it was hardly interesting enough to pursue. "It seems you dropped something m'boy," Laneer added without warning before tossing the trinket at Ragdoll. |
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