The Golden Sands of Tawn-thay }{ (Open)

[Laughing Man]

The harsh, midday sun beat down on the Harlequin as he made his way down the beaten path through the Western edges of the Dermûn Desert. It seemed to go on forever, and as he made shade over his eyes with one of his hands, the heat waves rising toward the sky gave no indication of distance. Surrounded completely by dunes, cresting like a frozen ocean of glass that was flash-glassed in mid-wave. It had it's own sort of beauty that Minh would normally had taken into consideration were it not for the terrible smelling camel, the bleak and cloudless sky, and the fact that he provisions were running low.

He had hitchhiked with a caravan on their way to Tawn-thay market. One of the few market towns scattered through the harsh desert where somehow, the desert people carved out a meager existence in this inhospitable landscape.

Minh was draped in finery over his normal outfit. A lively-colored, loose-fitting robe that was patterened as a moth's wings, with several layers under that. He didn't understand how it worked, but it seemed to insulate the heat, so he took the locals' advice and wore it. Pots, pans, and cups jangled and clanked against each other on his back and on the camel's saddle as he made his way. He had split off down a path at one of the few crossroads, leaving the caravan behind because he wanted some peace. That was four hours ago, around mid-morning. Now he wished he had someone to talk to, and more water to drink.

Now was not the time for what COULD or SHOULD have been, though. He gritted his teeth, pulled down his sun-bleached harlequin mask, and trudged down the scorched road into oblivion.

[William Hemata]

As the harlequin trudged through the desert, a man-sized portal opened up in the air, on the other side was a crimson sky and pitch-black ground, the screechings and cackling of various creatures of demonic nature could be heard on the other side, their crimson eyes looking through the portal. It seemed as if all nine hells would suddenly rip themselves through the portal in a terrifying rush of death, but instead a lone, winged figure dropped out and landed face-first into the hot-sand.

Just as mysteriously as the portal had ripped into the dimension, it disappeared, sealing back up and leaving no trace save for the lone figure on the ground. If the harlequin got closer, he would find that the creature was a mostly man-shaped dragon, its dark scales glinted in the light and its wings and tail slumped to the ground and unmoving. It was unconscious, and male. No clothing or armor was on the mysterious dragon, but no genitals showed, perhaps a shape-shifting trick. The figure laid there, eyes closed, breath light, smelled slightly of sulfur.

[Laughing Man]

Minh stopped and stared indifferently. His eyes reflected the sun and dimension-rupturing portal all the same without blinking. Once the body was dumped into his realm and the poral receeded, the exhausted Harlequin made his way toward the site. He wasn't sure what to expect, but for some reason he seemed to be surprised when he spotted the slumped form of a dark-scaled dragonborn. Or at least he assumed it was a Dragonborn. It was different from all the ones he'd seen, but it was the only thing that came to mind when spying the creature.

He approached cautiously from downwind. Not that he meant to, it just happened that way. The soft breeze was going Easterly, in from the Sea as it rolled it's way across the dunes. His brightly-patterned robes pulled tight against his body and he pulled the headpiece across his face after adjusting his mask. The winds were picking up, which could result in a sandstorm soon. He would probably need to find shelter soon or else his camel and himself would get torn up. This particular area of the desert was known for it's brutal ability to turn sand into lethal weapons.

When he reached the spot where the Dragon lay, e knelt down and spoke to his camel quietly, "Yelty, Salie! Salie!" It was the few commands the tribe had taught him when he bought the camel from them. The camels were all trained in it so that only those who buy the camel can know how to control them. It's not fool-proof but it's another measure that sometimes inhibits Desert Raiders from stealing the animals.

The camel obeyed and laid down on it's fours in the shadow of the nearest dune. Minh continued toward the prone form, looking it up and down, then scanning the horizon. He couldn't smell more than his own sweat and body until he as on top of the creature. Staring quietly from his mask for a few moments, the Harlequin made his way in one full circle around Will before stopping near his head. He knelt down and stared at it for a little longer, then pulled his glove off of one hand. He took a bare finger and placed it against the creature's neck to feel for a pulse. He then remembered it had scales, and it would probably be impossible to feel such a thing through them. Then again, he didn't know much about dragonborn anatomy, let alone this new creature. Giving up on that idea, Minh pulled an eyelid up to check for pupil dialation. Luckily it worked fine, so the creature was alive. The head lolled back into place as he let it go, and Minh decided to pull out his fask of water. He shook it a few times before realizing he had very little.

After short deliberation within himself, Minh peeled back the Dragon's lips and forced the end of the flask into the mouth. He tried to open the jaw a bit, and angled the flask upward to pour some water into it's mouth hoping it would wake the creature up.

[William Hemata]

Will's eyes shot open as the water was poured into his mouth. He coughed, confused, his crimson eyes darting around wildly at the sudden amounts of pain in his body. The dragon rolled away from the harlequin, laying on his stomach and hands down in the sand as he tried to support himself. Confusion filled his mind, where was he? His body ached as the remnants of his shadow magic dissipated into nothingness, leaving him trapped in his current form. He glanced up at the sky, the sun was bright, and sand was peppering against his hard scales.

The shadow dragon shook his head softly, his body swelling with pain from the sudden intrusion of light on his form, and the lack of shadow energy. He glanced at the harlequin and hissed softly,

"What do you want, elf?" The words were in common, he didn't know any form of elven language unless you counted drow from his times in Azuria. The dragon continued to try and get himself up, not yet accustomed to the sudden weakness the area brought to him through the lack of the Shadow Realm's presence.

[Laughing Man]

Minh was surprised. He opened his eyes wide a moment, then narrowed them back as another gust threw sand about the pair. How had this Dragonborn known he was an elf? His head was completely bound in cloth, and his mask covered his face. Perhaps from his eyes? Or some kind of magical sight? He had heard that mages and wizards could sometimes tell such things just by looking or having a small part of the person. Either way, he had been called Elf. Not half-elf... So it might have been from smell. He was often confused for full elf by other creatures that utilize smell.

Shaking the thoughts from his exhausted mind, the harlequin rose to his feet in one smooth movement, the water flask dangling in his left hand,
"I don't ask for much on a normal basis... Why would I ask a naked dragonborn for anything at all?" He asked with a sort of smart-assed, retortful sound to his voice. He was exhausted and tired, and not in a very good mood. Even so, he managed to keep his head.

With a gesture around them, Minh spoke,
"Wherever your destination lay, you have found yourself in the Dunes of Tawn-thay. If we hurry, we might be able to find some form of shelter, " His right hand moved toward the East, "I fear the winds are bringing a storm... Do you have any form of.. Protection?" He inquired, quirking his brow and head to look the Man up and down.

Minh then set out to get his camel ready to move again. If the Dragon had no clothing, he would offer him some robes of his own, and keep urging that they should get moving soon.

[William Hemata]

((OOC: Whoops, sorry. I was going to say half-elf off of smell <.< didn't realize your head was covered as i had originally planned that to be on sight. My bad. >.>))

Will snarled softly, getting to his feet slowly as he slowly adjusted to the lack of strength. He almost fell back down as a gust of wind blew in. Despite the wind, the heavy scent of the harlequin filled his nostrils, it made him . He always did have a nasty hate for inferior races.

"My scales protect me well enough, they are firm and strong, as they should be. Sand is no threat to me. I ask what you want, because realistically, you would not have woken me unless you wished for something other than my scales for your clothing and my flesh for your meals. Why did you wake me instead of kill me?"

Will had been around for many many years, he had been betrayed many a time during those years, he was cautious. He disliked how the shadow realm had a way of just putting him inside of a dimension it was losing. Even if it could communicate, Will doubted it would give him warning of its needed task. As was its way, Will simply had to deal with it. A powerful gust of sand came up, spraying sand at high velocities. Will brought his wing up, the small grains bouncing off of its hard scales instead of hitting his eyes.

[Laughing Man]

Minh stared for a moment, wondering why the Dragonborn had such a problem. He was used to people insulting his mixed blood, but this thing thought he was full Elf and still sounded insulting. Not that Minh worried too hard on the Dragon's feelings or thoughts. The Harlequin made his way toward the camel and got it to get up before setting off again. His path toward the road would bring him by the Dragon again and he paused to speak,

"If you're fine then I will be on my way. Excuse me for interrupting your Dark-portal-induced slumber." He said sarcastically and began moving again, leaving the Dragon behind him. If the creature wanted to be rude, then let it be rude. It wasn't his place to judge, but he sure wasn't going to stick around and be accused of any crime he never dreamed of commiting.

[William Hemata]

Will watched as the half-elf began to walk off, getting on his camel and riding off to where shelter would be, unfortunately Will knew that the creature would never make it with the sand-storm so close at hand. The dragon gave his wings a flap and took off into the air, soaring up-high for a moment before slowly descending down and perching on the back of Minh's camel.

"What do you do, creature?" He asked, as if standing on the back of a camel wasn't strange or bizarre in the slightest.

"Do you trade? Do you hunt? Do you tell stories or play music of some form? It has been so long since i have been in a dimension other than the shadow realm, i grow curious as to what this realm's species do." He said, his voice showing curiosity. He paused, then added.

"And you never answered my question. Why didn't you kill me back there for my scales?"

[Laughing Man]

Minh didn't seem surprised by the creature's rudeness. But he wasn't happy about it. Being mixed blood, he was used to being insulted or treated differently, so this was really no different. He pretended to ignore the creature for a while longer until he turned on his saddle and narrowed his eyes somewhat,
"There was no benefit to killing a naked Dragonborn in the middle of a desert." He said matter-of-factly before adding, "Besides I'm not that type of killer."

He rode a little further and realized the creature was still there. The winds picked up heavily and the camel started getting nervous. He had to calm it down several times to keep it from turning and running. The situation was becoming worse and worse by the minute and after an hour, the road was completely gone and they were lost. With no options left, Minh urged the camel forward, hoping to find something soon. Deciding to pass the time with idle chatter, Minh answered the Man's earlier questions,

"I'm a visual and oratory entertainer." He explained, "I do a quite many things: Kill people, help people, make people laugh, make people cry, make people regret being born, and serve the Goddess Desna. "

He turned slightly and asked over the roar of the storm, "And what about you? What do you do, naked stranger?"

After an hour or so more of travel, they would find the Ruins of Shal'imbah. An ancient temple built for the Sun God, left derelict in the vast expanse of the desert when the Mish'kai river dried up.

[William Hemata]

Will listened to the half-blood speak, a storyteller Will thought excitedly. It had been what felt like forever since he had heard a story. He grinned softly at the thought of hearing a tale, so long as it was not one he had already heard. That would be thoroughly disappointing. Will continued to stand on the back of the camel, using one wing to at least shield Minh from the vicious desert winds that cut through the air like razors, but were only strong enough to mildly irritate Will.

"I am a shadow lord. I travel the dimensions and various realms, never bound by space or time in my journeys." He paused and thought about that last part.

"Well...usually not bound at least."

Will looked ahead through the storm. Dragons were known for remarkable vision, but even the shadow lord was having difficulty seeing anything in the storm. A silhouette danced across his vision in the distance, the camel becoming noticeably slower as the hot sand cut into it, the elf having more protection from his draconic passenger's wings.

"There." Will said, pointing in direction of the abandoned temple. "Head in that direction."

[Laughing Man]

Minh hadn't really noticed the wing shielding him. He was too focused and worried about the camel's state below him. He could tell it was dying and had to repeatedly comfort it to keep it going. After a few more minutes, he climbed off the animal and tried to goad it by pulling on it's reins. At first it followed, begrudgingly, or so it seemed. five minutes into the travel, and the beast laid down on all fours, refusing to move.

Frustrated, exhausted, and scared, Minh picked up the water supplies and a few food rations, wrapping them in blankets. It was only then he realized he had been being protected and he thanks the Dragonborn. They struggled the last few meters to the opening of the temple.

The entrance was barred by huge doors that were carved like a giant maw of some desert-dwelling worm. There was a crack in them, parting them just enough for small figured to fit through. Minh slipped through easily, and it seemed like Will would have no problems, either. The interior was dark, pitch black due to there being no light from the outside because of the sand storm. As the Harlequin made his way inside, however, braziers flickered to life by dormant magic, casting orange flickering light around the room.

Massive stone pillars held up the impossibly high roof and all along the walls were carvings of pictures depicting a story. Minh ran a hand over them reverently and even pulled his gloves off to feel it with his bare hands,

"Do you know what this is?" He asked, breath caught in his throat, "The ancient tomb of Jarrah Tawn-thay, the Worm ." He said, pointing to a particular Heiroglyph that depicted a golden worm arched above a sitting on his throne. More pictures showed sacrificial rituals to the Sand God, Grummen: Worm of the Deserts. It was a remarkable find, to anyone who knew such stories as this particular Harlequin did. Trained since birth, orated every story known to man, sub-human, and beastman in all the land. He had to learn them and memorize to be good at his profession. And he was one of the best.

Minh turned away and glanced around the room, "Well we're stuck here until the storm blows by... Shame about the camel, but there was nothing we could do." He said sadly, and knelt down to pray to Desna,

"Make yourself at home, I suppose..." he said after a short while,

"Are you thirsty? I grabbed the water and some bread. We should eat, and perhaps begin exploring since we have so much time."

[Laughing Man]

<< This RP is now open for anyone to hop in in whatever manner they wish if they are so inclined. The other person I was RPing with has bailed on me, so oh well. Otherwise I'll just continue it solo. >>

The Half-Elf turned away from the Dragonborn, leaving it to its own devices. He was much, much more interested in the symbols and heiroglyphs running all along the walls and chambers. Grabbing his pack of food and supplies, he ventured deeper into the temple using his lantern for light.

He wasn't sure what the dragonborn was going to do, but it didn't really concern him much, because the man was rude anyway.

[saqin]

Back against the wall, the dormant woman would have looked peaceful if she'd not been covered by darkness. Her lightweight, but never the less protecting leather shirt and pants had a quite light brown color, and a scarf was half wrapped around her head. Her pack was put up against the wall next to her.

Charissa's eyes fluttered open suddenly, and for a moment her eyes scanned her surroundings and she listened carefully. Upon hearing the footsteps, she eased herself up from the floor and made a gesture as if to grab the knife that was faintly visible as a bulk in her clothes.

Charissa began walking then, with light steps to make as little noise as possible, to the opening in the wall from which the steps could be heard. The cloth that she used to wrap around her head was now lying around her neck, leaving her face exposed. But she paid no attention to it, instead she slowly looked around the corner.

Seeing the man whom was walking towards her while watching the hieroglyphs, she muttered a curse under her breath. Meeting other humans was the last thing she needed. She only briefly registered the outline of a dragon born far away in the room, and did not spend more than a moment to consider his presence. Realizing that no matter what she did, he would see her eventually, Charissa stepped out from the cover of the wall, making sure that he'd hear the scraping of her boots against the stone floor.

[Laughing Man]

Minh continued mumbling to himself, trying to discern the heiroglyphs. His fingers traced the gentle, precise grooves and bumps of the temple walls, fascinated by their smooth texture. His thoughts were absorbed in the story that unfolded as his feet carried his light, half-elven body deeper into the area. He didn't seem to notice the third occupant of the temple at first, even with the scraping boots. It was only after he made it to the corner, a three-way intersection in the temple, that he turned and, to his surprise, there was a woman standing there before him.

His Harlequin's mask was brushed from the harsh sandy winds outside, but it's lines and colors were still clearly discernible, the rest of his head shrouded entirely by a light, crimson sash that normally sat around his waist. His ltight-fitting leather armor was dotted with harlequin patterns, Around his neck rested a butterfly pendant - symbol of his matron god Desna.

The man simply chuckled then offered a theatric bow which would bring him low to the ground, left leg out straight to his left as his right was tucked under him tightly before sliding back up into a swaying, standing position. The entire act was smooth, as if he simply flowed into the stances rather than moved of his own will,

"What do you think? Of this wonderful story? Is it not fascinating?" Asked a lightly-muffled voice from behind the mask. He didn't seem afraid, or perhaps he was just oblivious to the potential danger meeting random strangers in a temple in the middle of the desert could pose.

[saqin]

Charissa stood patiently waiting for the man to see her as she took in his appearance. The mask covering his face felt wrong, and it made her uncomfortable, that he'd be able to see her face when she could not see his. Recognizing the butterfly pendant around her neck, she tilted her head slightly, much like the way a curious dog would.

The god Desna, the thought flicked through her mind momentarily before she once again turned her attention to his face, now watching her. Seeing his bow, a smile tugged at her lips, and she nodded her head towards him, not wanting to bow since he might take that as an opportunity to hurt her. His smell puzzled her, she recognized the human scent, but there was something else as well.

“I have not read much of it. I believe it covers most of the walls of these ruins however.” She said straitening her neck, puzzled by his question. Most travelers liked to know who they met, and whether the person meant to harm them or not. Charissa merely glanced at the hieroglyphs, shifting the weight of her body from her left foot to her right. Realizing her scarf was about to fall, she took it in her hands, fidgeting slightly with the soft fabric. “You came here alone? No camel?” Her voice didn't betray any emotions as she spoke the words seemingly without any afterthought. But in her head she considered the fact that her food had run out, and camel was edible.

Waiting for his answer, she leaned against one of the walls and closed her eyes for a moment. She listened to the sounds of the sandstorm outside, but mostly, she listened for noises that the man would make upon moving.