[Game Thread] Your First Assignment.

[Eleanor Rigby]

"I wonder what dreams mean. Sometimes I wish I could have one. Isn't it depressing to experience all this at night?" She stopped herself. That's a question already. "Maybe not, if there is joy too... Well, it doesn't matter where you learned the language, I was merely curious. And I know this is yet another question, but... A cat? I bet there are a few stray cats back in Dragonport or around the kitchen, wherever it is, but... A cat? Why?"

[MrCompetition]

"It's not depressing, they are usually different each night. I was just listing off what's common between them and what I remember. And as for the cat, I'm a sorcerer. What kind of arcane spell wielder would I be unless I got myself a familiar?" Rubbing his eyes a little, Kaleb continues; "Unless you can think of a better animal for the job, I plan on making a cat my familiar. I'll let that question go, go ahead and ask another."

[Eleanor Rigby]

Sahar shrugs."A cat would be a fine choice, I guess. Just make sure it is a black one," she smiles. "How come you don't already have one? And about a question... Hmm... Aren't you tired? I think I shall go and get some rest now. We should probably expect a busy day tomorrow."

[MrCompetition]

Two questions again? She's being rather greedy... Oh well, I doubt any of my answers will hurt me. "I don't have one because I haven't found one that I liked yet, but since we're probably going to be in harm's way soon, I can no longer afford to be picky. And yes, I am feeling a bit drowsy, so unless you have any more questions....?" Kaleb left the question open, he was surprised at how much he had enjoyed the conversation and was loathe to just let it go.

[Jordz92]

As the conversation below continues, high above, the sun begins it's final decent to the horizon. The shadows around the camp lengthen and fires are lit to allow the little work there is left to be finished quickly. The sounds of the camp die down as the people around you begin to settle in for the evening, though it is quiet, the gentle rumble of thousands of conversations carries far across the city. There is a slight glow to the air as the light from hundreds of fires mingles in the air and lights up the general area with a low light.

As Glen disappears inside his tent, the people who were watching the camp slowly disperse, as many of the newcomers have gone out of view. The temperature drops slightly and a slim outline of the moon appears in the sky, waxing slightly past the point of a half moon.

[Eleanor Rigby]

"I actually have one last question.... Shall we continue our conversation tomorrow?" After saying that, Sahar gets up, sends Kaleb one last smile, and gets out to find a quiet place for meditating.

[MrCompetition]

"Sure" Odd girl... whatever. Now, how did that ritual go....? Musing over arcane knowledge, Kaleb closed that flap to his tent and set his things aside for the evening.

[Fading Echo]

"Then good night." Cassandra adds to Sahar as she leaves, smirking slightly as the ranger speaks in the elven tongue-not very skillfully, and with a strange accent, but well enough to show that she has a good grasp of the language.

"Feels odd, though." Cassandra observes to no one in particular. "I must appease the spirits the next time I can, for missing this evening's sacrifice. But, from the looks of things, the spirits will have themselves a great sacrifice of blood indeed, sooner or later. I can only expect that, being asked to fill a dead man's shoes."

[Eleanor Rigby]

Sahar turns around and stares at Cassandra with astonishment. "Your gods request you to sacrifice living creatures?Every evening?"

[Fading Echo]

"Of course the spirits don't require me to sacrifice living creatures, elf." The ranger laughs. "What do you think I am, a barbarian? The spirits don't demand sacrifices, but I choose to make them, as it is only by their will that I have lived as long as I have. I sacrifice part of each creature I hunt, and my own sacrifice. I was going to make my sacrifice in secret this evening, as I thought it would disturb you, but I suppose I should get this out of the way now. Good thing we have our fire already."

Cassandra moves to the fire, and draws her belt dagger. Then, very carefully, she pricks the palm of her left hand-just enough to let individual drops of blood fall into the fire. With a nod to Sahar before continuing, the ranger closes her eyes and speaks, each sentence punctuating one of the drops of her blood falling into the fire.

"For Bahamut, dragon spirit, for your splendor I live each day. For Chauntea, earth spirit, of your flesh I am made. For Silvanus, wild spirit, your children give their dearest gift that I may live another day. For Mielikki, hunter spirit, in your path do I walk. And for Shaundakul, wind spirit, may your winds carry me ever onwards..."

A long moment passes, and the ranger returns her dagger to her belt. She looks directly at Sahar.

"I am a hunter of my clan, elf. Blood is my trade, and it is thus blood that I sacrifice. To give anything that did not mean everything to me would mean nothing to the spirits. Amongst my clan, a tailor might sacrifice thread and tools, or a sheperd might sacrifice one of their animals with great ceremony. It is my place to hunt creatures and other living beings. We do not make the distinction between hunters and warriors that lowlanders do."

[Eleanor Rigby]

After seeing what Cassandra meant by sacrifice, Sahar shrugs. "This I can accept, since you do not hurt any other being, and there is wisdom behind your words. Do as you like, but again, I will thank you if you won't call me 'elf', since I have a name."

[Fading Echo]

"Hurt any other being, Sahar?" Cassandra laughs again. "Apparently you haven't noticed, but you're in the army now. Hurting other beings is what you've signed on to do for a living, and my duty to my clan was hunting and killing other beings. And yes, I do sometimes sacrifice living beings while they are alive. My clan has no use for wounded enemies, and they'd be a drain on our limited resources. Better that they go to appeasing the spirits than simply being executed."

[Eleanor Rigby]

"There's a difference between killing someone who went willingly and prepared to battle, than murdering innocent prisoners or animals. Hunting for food I can understand, though personally I eat very little meat. But killing the innocent, or just to please a god, or a spirit? What kind of god is pleased with killing? Surely not mine." Despite knowing that Cassandra came from a very different society then she has, Sahar feels uncomfortable with the traditions she speaks about, and even rather disgusted from the killing she just mentioned. "I signed to the army just because of this: to stop the orcs from killing innocents. And if they kill me during battle, I cannot complain because I came to fight, fully aware that I might die. I will not, however, accept any unnecessary killing, no matter for what spirits it is for."

[Fading Echo]

"Naive child." Cassandra replies with contempt. "My clan sacrifices would-be prisoners for two reasons: the first is to appease the spirits. The second is that my clan lacked the resources to keep prisoners. Where I'm from, we don't have the luxuries you take as a matter of course. I could disgust you even further with what are simple day-to-day realities where I'm from, but I don't think it would serve any purpose. That said, you're also under a woeful misconception. The gods probably aren't pleased with killing, true. Good thing I don't serve or revere any. The spirits are enough for my people, and while I don't know what will happen to my spirit when I die, I don't care, because I'll be dead. Dead is dead, no matter how it happens or why you put yourself in a position where you might die."

[Eleanor Rigby]

"It matters not if you call them spirits or gods. You can call it however you like, it is the same thing. I see you as the naive one. You can excuse murder, saying there was no other way, but I see this as the naive way of thinking. There always is another way. I have lived much longer than you and have seen many things that I thought could never be changed that had changed, and things I believed could never be solved being solved. There always is a way that does not include killing. How about not taking prisoners on the first place? Or not fighting when not attacked?" Sahar sat down next to Cassandra, receiving the fact that it will yet take time before she will go to rest. "Those prisoners. What were they imprisoned for? Your clans, why were you fighting in the first place?"