[Jaldaric] Jal throws his head back and laughs; a simple, uncomplicated laugh. "It's a deal!" he says. Best regards, Hugh Foster System Support Analyst Servisair (UK) Ltd. hughfoster@servisair.co.uk www.servisair.co.uk "Reboot the PC and try it again" -----Original Message----- From: Ted Kissell [mailto:tbk@gate.net] Sent: 30 January 2000 04:27 To: kalyr@phoenyx.net Subject: RE: Kalyr - 37c : Jaldaric and Dharak [Dharak] The light of the rising moon falls in blue splashes on Dharak's face as he and Jaldaric approach the gatehouse. The teacher removes his helmet and tosses his mane of dreadlocks, wiping the battle's sweat from the back of this neck. "That is the dirty little secret, isn't it?" half-whispers. "Equality." He says it slowly, savoring each syllable. "If humans and kandar could achieve it without shedding one drop of our equally red blood, I would be a happy man. Of course, you utter that word, and ten percent of the people in the room want to kill you; eighty-five percent ignore you and hope you'll go away. But that last five percent ..." He stops speaking and regards the group gathered at the gatehouse. "That's *us*. And we have much to teach our brothers and sisters, and our so-called masters." "If we stop these attacks, that is." He smiles; they've now rejoined the group. "We pull this off, and you may find yourself writing a song about your own people for a change -- and be sure not to leave out the big man here," he says, clapping Jorg on his uninjured shoulder. >Jal looks dead serious for a moment. "If you'd seen those poor apprentices >at the Kara building, my friend, you'd not even consider being glad at >kandar deaths. They were only young, most of them, not warriors or >slavemasters, just students, and their blood was _that_ colour!" > >He dramatically wipes a small red smear from where his fall from the beast's >shoulders has grazed him and holds the finger up for his friend. > >"There's no glory in a massacre." > >> Best regards, >> >> Hugh Foster >> System Support Analyst >> >> Servisair (UK) Ltd. >> hughfoster@servisair.co.uk >> www.servisair.co.uk >> "Reboot the PC and try it again" >> > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Ted Kissell [mailto:tbk@gate.net] >Sent: 20 January 2000 22:09 >To: kalyr@phoenyx.net >Subject: RE: Kalyr - 37c : Jaldaric and Dharak > > >[Dharak] >"I myself have met some kandar of good character. If you say these two are >among them, that's good enough for me, brother." He pauses. "Don't know if >I'll be able to hold my tongue if Kylar keeps swearing by Kardak, though. >Of all kandar false gods, that one's the most obscene." > >"So something's targeting the Mentalists and the Mechanists, eh? The two >most important pillars of the status quo, and someone's trying to tear them >down." A devilish grin steals across his brown face. "Ordinarily, I'd be >all for it. But judging by the human corpses, this entity appears to be an >equal-opportunity destroyer. So whoever this otherworldly adversary is, he >is my enemy as well." > >"And though there might well have been a magical screwup of some sort, >these attacks do not appear at all random. The powers that be seem to have >attracted the attention of something intelligent, malevolent, and >aggressive." > >"I can't wait to learn more about this adversary." > >He carries his armload of wood to the bonfire, then joins the search for >survivors. > >[OOC: Once he finishes speaking privately to Jal, he withdraws his Mind >Shield into his own skull.] > > > > >>[Jaldaric] >> >>[On a plane here, with a good battery for once, time for my annual >>decent-sized post] >> >>Jal's easy, understanding grin and comradely tone immediately convey an >>impression of understanding - and sharing - Dharak's point of view. The >bard >>pauses to lift a hefty branch, not dissimilar in shape and size to a >>good-sized cudgel. >> >>"I'm very much of your mind, friend Dharak," he replies, "the 'forgone >>conclusion' of Kandar superiority sticks in my throat as it does yours. >>Inertia, that's all, and the memory of great heroes and high deeds from the >>past...." For a moment it seems he might drift off onto another subject, >but >>then he pulls himself back to reality with an effort. >> >>"The realities of this world dictate that wherever you go, there they are. >>By and large, arrogating the right to run everything and own everyone. But >>any people has its' good and bad lots, and the kandar, for all their >>mishandling of our people, are no exception." >> >>"Kylar I've known for a while, and he is pretty much as he seems to you; a >>soldier first and foremost, a career legion officer. He is kandar, and >>thinks as one, but before that he's a soldier and thinks as one. He has a >>keen sense of honour and justice, and I've never seen that affected one >whit >>by what race the person he deals with springs from. I've fought at his side >>and I trust him." >> >>He pauses, using the branch to idly sweep grass-stems about. >> >>"Duplar, he is from the Kara, but he has some sort of links to the Academy >>as well, I don't understand exactly what. He seems well respected, and >>liked, not least by young Reylorna, which seems to bode well for his >>approach to humans in the academy. For a kandar mind-ripper", for an >instant >>his tone is as hard and jagged as a broken blade, "he's pretty decent. He's >>already put his life on the line for all of use at least twice." >> >>"This is basically an Academy/Kara jaunt," he finishes, "but Kylar, Ryzar >>and I simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - we got >>involved when that monster attacked the Kara building. Between you and me, >I >>think the kandar have screwed something big up on the magical front, and >>nasty things are leaking through again." >> >>He shrugs, and drops the stick on the pile. "I don't know if that's helped >>you at all," he says, "life's never entirely simple. But that's an answer >to >>your question." >> >>> Best regards, >>> >>> Hugh Foster >>> System Support Analyst >>> >>> Servisair (UK) Ltd. >>> hughfoster@servisair.co.uk >>> www.servisair.co.uk >>> "Reboot the PC and try it again" >>> >> >> >>-----Original Message----- >>From: Ted Kissell [mailto:tbk@gate.net] >>Sent: 19 January 2000 13:39 >>To: kalyr@phoenyx.net >>Subject: Re: Kalyr - 37c : Jaldaric and Dharak >> >> >>[Dharak] >>"I must admit I'm a little confused, brother," Dharak says as the two of >>them rummage around in the dark for decent firewood. "I had assumed that >>you all were members of -- or employed by -- the Academy of the Mind. Yet >>Duplar wields a lightning wand, and didn't someone refer to a recent attack >>on the Karazthan? Who really is in charge of your group, and how did you >>get hooked up with them?" >> >>"And for that matter, how well do you know these two *Vornes*, anyway?," he >>says, exaggerating the Filgan pronunciation of the term for kandar >>nobility. "They both make quite a show of their supposed plainness -- the >>outcast, the 'simple soldier.' But brother, I can smell a slaveholder, and >>those two reek of it." >> >>"But I can also tell a man of honor, and for all your roguish pretensions, >>I feel I can trust you. Everything about you tells me that you've broken >>out of the slave mind, the meek acquiescence that allows the kandar to keep >>our people in chains." >> >>"If you tell me you trust these kandar, I know your trust is freely -- but >>not easily -- given, and I'll be inclined to give them the benefit of the >>doubt." >> >> >>>[Jal and Dharak] >>> >>>The two of them manage to keep out of earshot of the rest. >>> >>>-- >>>Tim Hall, timjh (at) csi.com >>>* http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/timjh/kalyr.htm
