The Fox and the Wolf

Bane's View 


 * ''Day or night, great pains are taken to illuminate nearly every nook and cranny within this establishment. Using lanterns, torches and the showcase arch-mantled fireplace in the north wall, the proprietors keep the shadows at bay.


 * ''Windows grant views of traffic on the main road through Wedgecrest, as well as the landmark granite hill called Night's Bane on the opposite shore of the Fastheld River.

For an afternoon in a quickly developing Township, one might assume the Bane's View Tavern to be one of those places that would be a hive of activity. Perhaps not more so than it would be in the evening, but Taverns have an uncanny ability to draw all kinds of people in at all kinds of hours, for whatever reasons and services that the tavern can provide the solutions to. On the Third hour by the Shadow on Willowwalk, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, the Tavern seems to be closed as Vhramis is permitted entry, to the extent that the proprietors actually lock the door behind the Ranger, though decline to say anything to him in turn. But that isn't to say that the Tavern is entirely devoid of life. A sole occupant remains tucked away in a corner behind the only table that doesn't have chairs stacked atop it; a figure enshrouded in a cloak of velvet darkness, illuminated from the gloom of a closed establishment by a single candle.

Wolfsbane has found his bow, apparently, as clutched in the man's right hand is the Lady's Flight, the soft blue glow working to at least chase away some of the gloom in his immediate proximity. He has taken no pains to hide the odd quality of illumination as he so often had previous.

The lone occupant of the tavern beckons Vhramis over to the one table that holds the only beacon of light that stands defiant against the encroaching shadows. The figure doesn't so much look up towards the Ranger, however, but the hand signal is clear all the same.

Perhaps Vhramis missed the seated figure, but at the gesture, the freshly arrived ranger approaches, steps thudding softly against the wooden floor of the common room. He squints slightly as he nears, trying to make out more details of the seated man. He doesn't speak, nor offer any greeting aside from a small dip of his head as he leans the warbow against the side of the table.

"Do you remember," the seated shadow begins as Vhramis waits, the regal purr of his voice distinctive behind the muffle of the fabric that covers his face, "In what seems another life, when a Prince and a Ranger crested a hill overshadowed by a vast Aegis wall, and bore witness to the passing of an undead Dragon overhead?"

Vhramis nods his affirmative in another tiny dip of his head, the flickering candlelight reflecting in his eyes, the yellow light mixing with the soft nearby blue. "Many a different mantle has been worn since that day. For both men," he answers, voice a hushed reverence before it fades to silence, waiting for the other to continue.

'Fox' mirrors the gesture of affirmation, and one might even 'hear' a smile behind that mask of dark velvet that covers the enigmatic figure's mouth. "Indeed, but I think we've come out of it all in a better shape than when we went into it. So much has changed. So much has yet to. Vhramis..."

He pauses, gesturing for the Ranger to sit, "You'll have to allow that there are some places that cats must take care with while treading through, which is why they may seem to wear a different color coat than you're used to. Depending on what they're hunting, of course."

"Fox and Wolf," Vhramis muses, mouth quirking briefly, before he sinks into the seat in a whisper of fabric and creaking leather. A cautious once over is giving to the surrounding darkness of the establishment, before his attention is back upon the man seated across him him. "How did you do that?" comes the question, his brows furrowing.

"Draconic," the Fox replies without hesitation, "It's something that Sera'tharalax used to be able to." He waits for that maelstrom of information to batter the Ranger's senses before holding his palms out to the sides in a gesture of relative submission to the unspoken reply. As the lone candle flickers, the black Fox elaborates, "Suffice to say that there is... much... about Ravenrend that I never told anyone. Including myself. Apparently, there was much I seem to have hidden from even myself, too. Things change."

"Sera'tha..what?" Vhramis blurts, eyebrows lifting, before he shakes his head and sighs. "Ravenrend. I had suggested that an expedition soon to be heading out stop by there to ask about that crashed flying machine from a ways back. Perhaps..I'll direct them elsewhere."

Fox offers a somber nod in reply to that assessment. "It'd be for the best, Vhramis. They wouldn't be able to find it anyhow. You'll just have to trust me on that. Still, an expedition?"

"As it turns out...” Vhramis begins, leaning back in the seat a bit as he settles to a more comfortable position. "Zolor wishes to find whoever created that flying machine, and speak with them. Or at least make contact to apologize for shooting it down. Something along those lines." He frowns slightly and taps at the table with a leather clad fingertip. "Though..it's seeming more and more like a sight seeing tour, Fox. All sorts of people heading out with no real business there. Sahna Nillu, for example. I don't think she'll take to living on rations very well." He arches an eyebrow, and leans forward a bit, adding, "There was talk of them wanting Rowena to go."

The Fox remains quiet while Vhramis elaborates, though quirks a shadowed brow at that final tidbit of information. "Oh they do, do they?" He sighs, though not without humor. "I think I'm going to agree with your assessment there. They have no idea what they're getting themselves into. However..." The shadowy stranger taps a finger on the table as he quietly chooses his next words. "That is convenient, at least from our perspective. Vhramis, there's something I wanted to ask of you, and it's something of importance. Now, you don't owe me anything, but there isn't anyone else in Fastheld I can ask. What I will say is that it involves the Wildlands, and an entity with whom I think you're already aquinted with. In the long run, it also involves another entity by the name of Xil'varath, and the future of Fastheld itself."

He pauses, and then adds: "So, you know, don't go making any hasty decisions."

Wolfsbane needs to sit and turn his companion's words over in his head for a moment, staring blankly at him in the meantime. "..I'll certainly listen to what you have to tell me, and ask me, Fox," he replies slowly, seeming to likewise be careful about his own words. "And you probably know me well enough to be confident that, if I can aid you, I will."

Fox inclines his head in a geature of affirmation and, after looking upon that long candle for a few moments, regards his companion once more from beneath the overwatch of the shadows the hood of the covering black cloak blankets his features in. "In truth, here before you is neither the White Dragon named the Dawnbringer, nor the man that was called the Prince." he states, sincerely, leading into that which Vhramis needs to know. "Yet, here before you sits both all the same. This is how I have come to know things, Vhramis, and this is why I'm not the same person I was when we set out beyond the Aegis during that fateful winter. As I remarked before, things change. Everything changes, while everything stays the same. It's one of those odd human edicts that hold more truth than they *should*. But I digress..." "I wanted you to go beyond the Aegis and locate Val'sharax once more. To him you would give two offerings in exchange for something of equal comparative value, though not reveal what you're trading for. If he asks, you are to tell him to venture to the place where Xil'varath's shadow was buried. He'll understand. I'd go myself, but..." Fox shrugs, "Let's just say that Sera'tharalax and Val'sharax had a, ah, 'misunderstanding' a long time ago that we really don't need to mention until we have to."

It's fairly clear Vhramis doesn't understand, by the expression on his face. Though there's an acceptance in his lack of understanding, the man simply nodding his head. "I hear, though I'm going to simply take your word on the first part, Fox. But..Val'sharax. Light," he grunts, rubbing at his face with his palm, chuckling dryly from behind his hand. "He and I are becoming quite familiar with each other." He looks between two fingers back at the shadowed figure across the table, before his hand drops into his lap. "I offer two things, then. What are those things? And, in exchange, he travels to where the other drake was buried?"

"You do, he does, and..." With care, Fox draws the two swords from the scabbards currently resting in an 'X' formation upon his back, placing the blades carefully next to each other upon the table between the two companions. Two scimitars forged entirely of Seraphite. Weapons of unequaled value. Ebony and Ivory. "These." he states in a tone of finality.

"You would give these up?" Vhramis whispers in some shock, eyes dropping to the remarkable blades resting before him on the table. He reaches the hand from his lap towards the hilt of Ivory, stroking lightly at it. "And he will accept them? I half suspected that me walking about with the bow more or less made me stand out to him like a beacon." He withdraws his hand, leaving the two swords resting between them. "And when he visits this site... will it be like the forming of Kalath'aria? What will he do there?"

"I would." the dark figure answers in reply to the first question, speaking with such serenity that the materialistic value of the weapons seems suddenly trivial. "And I hope he will, at least. Seraphite isn't something you come across every day, and if his horde is anything like Sara'tharalax's was, well... he'd be the first Dragon not to. As to what he'll do there..." The black Fox smiles softly beneath that mask of velvet. "Undo much of that which the Ravager wrought."

"Mikin Woods?" murmurs the man, the hope poorly hidden behind the question "Many times I've returned to the ruins of that forest, to plant seeds and such. It's recovering slowly, of course. The evidence is there. But it will take a long, long while." He falls quiet at that, looking back down to the swords, before continuing. And should I ask how it's going to happen?" Vhramis answers with a blink, cocking his head slightly at Fox. "And..it'll be some trick sidetracking this expedition long enough to allow me to make contact, should you wish it done quietly. Though I could always slip away and catch up with them later, I suppose."

"Well, the Aegis was built by a handful of Mages," Fox reasons, looking from Vhramis to the two scimitars now resting in front of him, tracing the way the light from the candle dances upon their resplendent dusky-blue blades. "Sera'tharalax doubts it'd be very difficult for a Dragon to do much of the same for Light's Reach and - yes - the Mikin Woods. She couldn't, of course, because her alignment wasn't with the Shadow, but the logic is sound. We're not going to able to bring anyone back from beyond this life, but... well, you know."

And my task? I'll keep it as quiet as I can, Fox. But... I believe they planned on bringing upwards of sixty people out there," he murmurs; face intent upon the swords, though one would get the impression that he's more staring at a location far beyond them, than on the weapons themselves. "There are some who… likely would try to get involved, thinking they have better ways of doing things," he grunts, mouth twisting downward slightly.

"Sixty?" Fox repeats, quirking a brow once more. "Well, when you said that it was more of a sight seeing tour than an expedition, you weren't kidding." He shakes his head following that assessment. "Sixty. That's not an expedition. That's an invasion force. It doesn't take sixty people to apologize. But..."

The shadowed enigma sighs, "Just worry about what you need to worry about, Vhramis. Use them to your advantage, but don't be used by them. What I'm asking of you is more important than whatever jaunt they think they're going on."

“With this much Seraphite on me, I don't doubt Val'sharax will come, looking to see about whatever it is I'm up to," Vhramis muses, chuckling softly, reaching again to the swords, choosing Ebony's hilt to receive his light touch this time.

"It's something..the things I've seen. If I was better with words, I could scribe a book and likely become famous. Or declared insane. Though you'd probably need to be one to be the other, in many a case. Still, I'll not be able to look back one day, when I'm old, and regret that I've led an uninteresting life. I'll do it, Fox. For you. For Fastheld." He glances up to the man across from him. "...for everything."

"Just don't get yourself killed in the process, Vhramis." The black Fox states with a sincerity that drives deep within the core of friendship. "I've given a lot in life, and I've lost a lot more. Rowena was something I very nearly came close to losing once as well. I've got her back now, and I intend to keep her. What I have left I consider to be few in number, but great in value. What I'm saying is..."

He sighs, "Well, Fastheld doesn't need any more dead heroes. Among the ranks of sixty armed soldiers, I also wouldn't worry about the Seraphite being the thing that attracts the attention of a Red Dragon..." From faith to premonition; there's a certain ominous overtone in the latter warning.

"Not all soldiers. Likely some dignitaries and such, but I see the point you make," nods Wolfsbane with a return sigh. "I'll certainly try to not die, Fox. I'm always working on that, after all. I'm not sure when they wish to leave. They were going to have more planning meetings in the meantime to determine the specifics." A thought occurs to the ranger, and he reaches down to his belt, drawing out a likely very familiar fighting knife to the man across from him. "...in the meantime, perhaps you should take this back, for now. Until you find something else to use." He rests Valacar on the table in offering, lifting an eyebrow.

The black Fox smiles once more beneath that shroud of velvet that covers his mouth. An expression that's hidden from sight, but clear all the same. "No, Vhramis. Valacar is yours now. You've earned it. Besides, I have a few other weapons at my disposal now that work just as well, even if you can't see them.

"If it's making men appear the fool amongst gatherings of people, then I've seen the truth of that," replies Vhramis in a good humored jest, lifting the knife and sliding it away again. "Should I attempt to find you, then, when this is all over? Though, I have a sneaking suspicion that you'll be well aware if I succeed or not."

Waving a dismissive hand, the Fox can only laugh at that. "Come on, Vhramis. You've never needed my permission before. You certainly don't need it now, or later. Once this chapter is over, though, and from the time I leave this Tavern, I should have shed this coat. I'll be easier to find, I assure you. There are just some things that... well, need a level of secrecy involved. This is something that goes beyond mere politics and social stature, and thus remains one of those things."

He taps the table once more, and then gestures to the candle. "It might make you feel better to know that while the light from the candle is keeping the shadow away during our conversation, so am I."

"Well...” Vhramis muses, glancing about the room again. "I was more referring to the fact that you seem to have the uncanny ability to find me. You'll need to teach me how to do such a thing, one day. I imagine it could come in handy." He smiles and rises from his seat slowly, stretching his legs.

"You say that," notes the Fox, "But if I /recall/, you seem to have found me more times than I've found you. At the Aegis before we ventured into the Wildlands. At Crown's Refuge. At Sheltered Flame Keep..." He leaves it at that though, and just nods. "Take care, Vhramis. I'll leave after you do. There might be ravens about."

"It's simple. I cheated on all three of those occasions," Vhramis answers with a quirk of a smile, turning his attention to the two swords. "And, yes..ravens. Medivh, specifically. Perhaps this time I'll be rid of the beast for good." He lifts his bow and slings it over his shoulder, before clasping the two swords, holding one in each hand, considering them oddly.

"You'd miss Medivh too much to do that." Fox quirks in that regal purr, before offering one final word of advice: "Watch your back, Vhramis; especially with those two in your possession. Remember, beyond the Aegis, you're greater than anyone that will walk with you in terms of experience, knowledge, loyalty, and skill. Don't be afraid to use them if it comes to it."

Accepting the words with a small nod absent of pride, Vhramis sighs faintly. "I do enjoy it, though, in some small way. The adventure of it, that is. Perhaps my survival instinct isn't as strong as I had just said." He pauses for a moment, before adding, "One more thing: can I borrow those scabbards?"

''Return to Season 5 (2007)