View source for Dreaderic's warrior's tale

[[Arpia]] asks [[Dreaderic]], "Are you prepared to share your story?"

Dreaderic nods to Arpia.

Dreaderic stands up.

Dreaderic smiles.

Dreaderic acidly says, "'GUTTER TRASH,' rings in the young boy's ears as he curls inward, his arms flailing to shield his face and head from the onslaught of blows."

Dreaderic sadly says, "A tear falls down the boys cheek as he grits his teeth and endures. It is like this most nights, especially the nights he finds something to eat."

Dreaderic firmly says, "'By EVERILD be still!,' a bellowing voice cries out from the darkness. A lumbering gait approaches, the faster shuffling of the other youths scurrying away echoes in the alley."

Dreaderic kneels down.

(Dreaderic begins idly scratching designs into the dirt with a sharpened stick.)

Squanto shakes his head as if clearing it.

Dreaderic ominously says, "A hooded figure bends near, the prominent bear skin covering drooping low over his face. A scarred and gnarled hand extends itself, lifting the boy effortlessly to his feet."

(Dreaderic continues tracing the shapes of several figures, a larger central image taking shape with a surround of other strange symbols.)

Dreaderic stubbornly says, "'Lad, you are a strong soul, but your body needs work,' echoes the hard voice of a harder man as he leads the boy out of the alley, and into his future."

Dreaderic wistfully says, "And so, over time, the boy grew, his spirit gained in strength and his body followed quickly behind. A fire burned in the boy, and he became familiar with the power present in the spirit of things. Gradually he absorbed his lessons, but the bear, the one who granted him the first glimpse of true strength, the bear always at the forefront of his mind."

(Dreaderic pauses in the act of his scribbling at the crude form of a bear takes shape in the central figure, he looks up briefly and then continues his efforts.)

Dreaderic unabashedly says, "A boy, now a man grown and in his middle years left his island home. He sailed across the great gulf of water, and found himself a new home, the world of his youth had become too small for him. In this bustling new place, the man met a woman. A chance encounter that altered the course of his life once more."

(Dreaderic smiles quietly to himself as the image of a simple, elegant bird takes shape near the shoulder of the large bear figure.)

Dreaderic lovingly says, "The woman tempered him further, enhancing his strength with her own, a ferocity and resolve that surprised him, and smoothing the rough edges of the boy, now man, now warrior, until he gleamed like the masterwork steel he so often wielded."

Dreaderic gravely says, "The voices, the cruelty of his youth, oft echoes in his mind, but instead of a tear, they are answered only with steel. The warrior and his wife, together they stand unbroken."

(Dreaderic looks satisfied with his drawing and stands, the symbolic animalistic forms of the barbarian strength now surrounding the central figures of the bear and bird. He glances around with a dangerous look in his eye and smiles widely.)

Dreaderic stands up.

Dreaderic gazes at Kja.

Dreaderic kneels down before Kja.

Arpia nods to Dreaderic.

Arpia grins at Dreaderic.

Kja brushes her lips against Dreaderic's in a loving kiss.

Arpia stands up.

Dreaderic grabs Squanto's forearm in a vise-like grip and shakes him violently, greeting him like a long-lost Barbarian sibling.

Dreaderic grabs Caraamon's forearm in a vise-like grip and shakes him violently, greeting him like a long-lost Barbarian sibling.

Dreaderic grabs Chuno's forearm in a vise-like grip and shakes him violently, greeting him like a long-lost Barbarian sibling.

Arpia says, "Well told."

Dreaderic stands up.

Dreaderic nods to Arpia.

Dreaderic kneels down.

Arpia moves a couple of the rods around before choosing one.

Arpia moves to stand behind Dreaderic, one hand on his shoulder.

Dreaderic makes a disgusting grunting noise.

Arpia starts on Dreaderic's neck, letting the hot metal score into flesh leaving behind black lines.

A pained expression crosses Dreaderic's face.

The smell of burning skin and metal grows stronger.

Dreaderic grins evilly.

Arpia's hand is steady as it uses the rod to draw designs across Dreaderic's shoulder.
A stunned Dreaderic slowly tips over, falling on his face!

Dreaderic shakes off the stun.

Dreaderic coughs.

Dreaderic mutters to himself.

As Arpia finishes the design created on Dreaderic's flesh, their eyes roll back in their heads and they slump to the ground unconscious.

Dreaderic says, "Well it stings a bit."

Dreaderic leaps to his feet!

Dreaderic grabs Arpia's forearm in a vise-like grip and shakes her violently, greeting her like a long-lost Barbarian sibling.

Dreaderic says to Arpia, "An honor."

Dreaderic's eyes slowly open.

Arpia says, "Mine as well."

Arpia grins at Dreaderic.

Dreaderic grabs Caraamon's forearm in a vise-like grip and shakes him violently, greeting him like a long-lost Barbarian sibling.

Dreaderic grabs Hammerfist's forearm in a vise-like grip and shakes him violently, greeting him like a long-lost Barbarian sibling.

Dreaderic grabs Caidie's forearm in a vise-like grip and shakes her violently, greeting her like a long-lost Barbarian sibling.

Arpia says to Chuno, "Everyone helped with their own brands. To make sure everyone gets something they are proud to wear."

Dreaderic gives Arpia some coins.

You see Apocalypse Dreaderic au'Arcos, a Human. <br/>
Dreaderic has a ruggedly sculpted face with a scar running from temple to chiseled jawline, commanding cobalt-wreathed steely grey eyes and an aquiline nose. His copper blonde hair is shoulder length, cropped close along the sides and shaved to reveal a series of bestial symbols, and is worn pulled back by a pair of crossed tomiek daggers and allowed to flow over the shoulders. He has scars from arms to neck marking battle toughened skin and a thickly-muscled, hulking build. <br/>
He is towering for a Human. <br/>
He appears to be in his prime. <br/>
He a set of etched haralun lip rings attached to the sides of his mouth, each giving the impression of tribal markings encircling his jaw. <br/>
The seared figure of a monstrous dire bear with a small bird perched proudly upon its shoulder is branded deeply into the side of his neck. Ragged lines of discolored scar tissue trace a turbulent pattern of savage weaponry and animalistic symbols that encircle the image of the ursine beast and appear to stamped across the shoulder. The marred tracery draws together along the length of his forearm to fashion the words "We Stand Unbroken" in raised ridges of tortured flesh. <br/>
He has tiny scratches to the right arm, tiny scratches to the right leg, tiny scratches to the left leg, tiny scratches to the right hand, faint scuffing to the chest, tiny scratches to the abdomen, faint scuffing to the back. <br/>
He is in good shape. <br/>
He is holding a wee wooden thimble o' whiskey in his right hand. <br/>
He is wearing an enveloping black overcloak cinched at the shoulder with a smokewood clasp, a sleeveless lava drake-hide fighting shirt with crossed kertig-buckled straps, an elegant black gold eternity band wrapped in strands of luminous moonsilver, an antiqued sheath accented with smokewood and set with a forged-animite endcap, a mammoth hide campaign pack clasped with a windsteel-bound midnight diamond, some fitted lava drake-hide fighting pants with sinew stitching and kertig buckles and a pair of lava drake-hide stomping boots embellished with kertig and icesteel.