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Post by krailen on Oct 30, 2010 18:59:44 GMT -5
Krailen had returned to the Hold after a long day of training his Journeyman and seeing to the beasts at the Weyr only to be met by the grim news that Hatral, the Lord who had taken position over Dragon Weyr since her founding had succumbed to the illness he'd been fighting for nearly a sevenday.
"Shards," he muttered, when he got the news, removing his hat as he entered the somber Hold. From the word he received, the others were gathering in the Great Hall to honor and mourn the loss of their Lord Holder. Krailen shook the dust off his working clothes to the best of his abilities, and made his way to gather with the others.
True, he hadn't really liked Hatral, but the man had stepped up to lead them when no one else had. Krailen would pay his respects. That much he owed to the Holder.
Tag Any
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Post by Evelie on Nov 3, 2010 19:51:01 GMT -5
Evie walked through the Hold, the fingertips of her right hand constantly running along the wall, her left extended just slightly in front of her. She listened to the sound of her footsteps, the sounds of people passing, trying to gain a better understanding of what went on around her - with little success.
Two people had been chatting as they went past, one of them mentioning the death of Lord Hatral. Upon hearing this, Evie shifted direction, planning to go to the Great Hall and pay her respects, because it was the proper thing to do.
If she remembered correctly, a turn here would bring her to the Great Hall. With a deep breath, she lowered her hands, dared to step away from the wall, just for a moment...
... and stepped right into someone else.
By Faranth, she couldn't take a step on her own, could she? Swallowing her frustration, Evie hastily apologized, "Pardon me! I didn't know you were there."
Tag: Any
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Post by krailen on Nov 13, 2010 19:56:02 GMT -5
Krailen felt the jostle and shifted slightly to see who had bumped him. A young woman met his eyes.
"That's alright. It is rather crowded here." Looking at her, he noticed that there was something different about her eyes. He wondered how she's missed him exactly, but that truly didn't matter at this time.
"I don't believe we've met. I'm Krailen. Beastcrafter." He introduced himself. "I assume you've heard the news?" He glanced back to where those who had been closest to Hatral were gathered, mourning the loss together.
"He was a good man."
Tag Evie/Any Sorry for the delay I had totally missed that there was a reply here until just tonight!
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Post by Evelie on Nov 14, 2010 1:50:31 GMT -5
"That's alright. It is rather crowded here."It was crowded? No wonder she had run into someone! From now on, she was staying by the wall. At least the man she'd run into this time sounded friendly, not offended. Evie wondered for a brief moment why she smelled animal... "I don't believe we've met. I'm Krailen. Beastcrafter."A beastcrafter! Just who she'd needed to find... Evie tried not to gape, or smile, keeping in mind why she was here and the solemnity of the occasion. Her own wants could come later, this was not the time. "I'm Evelie, but please call me Evie. Former Harper." Evie had tried to pinpoint where his voice had come from, hoping she was looking straight at him. "I assume you've heard the news?" She nodded. "I overheard some people discussing it and came to pay my respects." "He was a good man." "Did you know him well?" Tag Krailen/AnyIt's fine, things have been busy!
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Post by Darvin on Nov 19, 2010 12:19:19 GMT -5
D'vin frowned, slowly, respectfully making his way through the crowd, trying to get closer to the Great Hall itself. He paused, hearing a familiar voice. He turned, and eyed Krailen and Evelie speaking. The man was unfamiliar, but the woman - He brushed through the crowd, murmuring polite apologies, and stepped up to Evelie, keeping a short distance between them. He reached out to touch her forearm with his fingertips, as he spoke, "Evelie? It's D'vin. This is my hand." He smiled, looking aside at Krailen, "Hello, sir." He inclined his head.
The Groundsmaster of the Weyr didn't recognize the man, but his garb - And scent - were clear enough. "I am D'vin, Groundsmaster of the Weyr." He frowned. "It's quite a crowd gathered to mourn his passing." He sighed, softly, and added, almost regretfully, "He was a dependable, steady leader."
But who would succeed him? As far as he knew, Hatral was childless, and likely bereft of family members, so leadership of the hold was... Uncertain. He shook his head, pondering the few likely candidates for leadership, and not particularly enjoying the prospects of any of them. Lesser evils, I suppose.
He looked to Evilie, after a moment, and smiled, briefly setting that aside. "It's good to see you, again, Evilie," he murmured, almost an aside.
Tag: Any
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Post by Evelie on Nov 24, 2010 2:37:22 GMT -5
Solemn occasion or not, Evie couldn’t help but smile at the feel of a friendly touch on her arm. “Hello, D’vin,” she turned her head in the direction of his voice and touch, her hand moving to lightly rest on top of his fingers. Touching something, or in this case someone, made her feel a little less like she was floating in a black void.
Another mention of how dependable a leader the deceased had been made Evie wish she'd known more about Lord Hatral, more about Dragon Hold itself. It was a Harper's duty to... well. She wasn't one anymore, was she?
”It’s good to see you again, Evelie."
Her thoughts were interrupted by the quiet comment. It sounded sincere, not just being polite. Evie was a little flattered, softly responding, “It’s good to see you too...” she realized what she’d just said and grimaced. “Well. It’s good to hear your voice again, at least. And please, call me Evie. How have you been?”
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Post by Darvin on Nov 26, 2010 18:19:23 GMT -5
He turned his hand over, and held her own, "I'm doing quite well, thank you. I've some spare time from the Groundsmaster's duties at the Weyr, and decided to come and say goodbye. I didn't know him too well, but I knew him, here and there. The succession will be interesting," he sighed, softly. He gently parted the crowd with a hand, and quiet words, leading her through it. "Have you spent very much time around the Hold, Evel-" He paused, and chuckled, "Miss Evie, then."
He looked ahead, through the crowd, and paused. There he was. Pale, and cold as death, skin bleached of its' healthy tan by his untimely illness and demise. The mood of the room was immediately somber, and quiet. "Well... There he is," he said, partially to himself. He looked over at her, uncertain what she wished to do. "Did you want to go closer?" He murmured, his voice soft, leaning down to almost whisper into her ear.
Tag: Evelie
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Post by Evelie on Nov 30, 2010 22:22:36 GMT -5
"Have you spent very much time around the Hold, Evel-" He paused, and chuckled, "Miss Evie, then."
Evie giggled a little, both at the question and at being called 'Miss'. "Well, yes and no. I don't spend much time anywhere other than the Hold - but I'm not familiar with all of the Hold, either. It can be, ah, difficult to get around."
She didn't need anyone to tell her when they were standing in front of the late Lord Holder - the very feel of the air around her changed, a small chill going down her spine.
"Did you want to go closer?"
Evie shook her head. "No, there wouldn't be much point in it," she whispered back. "I didn't know him, and I can't see him. I just wanted to pay my respects. If you could lead me out...?"
A moment later, she asked, "You mentioned that the succession will be interesting. Why do you say that?"
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Post by Darvin on Dec 10, 2010 15:39:04 GMT -5
D'vin guided her slowly, back out of the room. "Hatral," He began, uncertainly, pausing for a moment. "His eldest sons are twins, and neither is certain which was born first. It's gotten a bit nasty," he confided, "Especially because there are others, trying to claim blood ties to him. And these men... Though their claims are at best questionable, they have quite a bit of support. And that makes things... Tense." He frowned.
"There're mixed feelings about the matter. This being the last true Hold, to the last true Weyr... Some people want the matter resolved quickly, if not," he paused, briefly, then added, tactfully, "Cleanly."
"There's quite a bit of support for Garol, who claims to be his half-brother. The man did a great deal of work when they were attempting to repair the Hold, at first... There's also Borel, formerly Weyrfolk. Claims to be a half-brother by his father. For him, there are a lot of supporters amongst some of the drudges in the Weyr. His two sons, Hatrin, and Fastral, are supported by the more traditional folk... But even their support is split between the two." He shook his head, sighing, softly. "It's getting very complicated, and Borel was known for his temper."
Tag: Evelie
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Post by Evelie on Dec 12, 2010 1:01:15 GMT -5
Evie didn't quite scoff - but it was close.
"Relation by blood is not nearly as important as whether or not the successor is able to fulfill the duties required. Whoever is most familiar with the workings of the Hold and will be able to see to the Hold's needs should be the next Lord Holder."
She sighed, "Of course, the successor is generally of the Blood, but it is not absolutely necessary. I can understand why people want this resolved quickly -" she chose not to think about the implications of the word 'cleanly', "- but it is as you said; this is the last true Hold, to the last true Weyr. All the more reason to be more concerned with actual qualifications and experience instead of how closely related someone was to Lord Hatral."
After a moment's consideration, she said, "You think this Borel's temper means trouble." It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. 'Tempers', when it came to politics, were rarely simply a bit of anger and stomping of feet.
Tag: Darvin
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Post by Darvin on Dec 12, 2010 14:42:47 GMT -5
"Especially in times of turmoil," he replied, "People cling to traditions. Blood is just as much a qualification as skill to many. And therein lies the problem. Each is a capable leader, in their way. Rather than decide which is best, they pretend them equal and simply rely on claims of blood. Hatral," he continued, "Was from an obscure cothold. It's simply not possible, with the events of the past few months, to confirm or deny any of theirs claims - Save the sons, of course, but their claim to leadership is also untested, and considered suspect because of it. Borel is a hard driver. He'll get people motivated and working, but he carries a harsh weight to his actions. Garol is somewhat softer of a leader, but still willing to make his people work; though his tool is charisma, nor sheer force, nor force of will. Some decry him for this, declaring him an unfit leader because of it."
"Temper," he frowned, "Is a testy thing. I do not say that he will do much, merely that he can. According to some," he paused, voice softening, "He has."
"Because of all this, it's very much undecided. I'm not sure it will be decided, any time soon, either." He sighed, softly. "Borel knows he has a temper, and that's one of his tools, too. Few are willing to tempt the issue, and find out."
Tag: Evelie
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Post by Evelie on Dec 14, 2010 16:44:34 GMT -5
Evie shook her head. The last thing Dragon Hold needed was trouble. Bad enough to have lost everything. Fighting over succession could endanger the one hope they all had left... but of course, everyone was scared of exactly that happening. This wasn’t about who would become the next Lord Holder - this was about who would become the next Lord Holder of the last Hold.
She was silent for a moment, letting her thoughts drift along similar lines as she listened to their footsteps, getting a little lost in the inherent rhythm. Untested sons, charismatic and hard half-brothers... which was better in a leader, charisma or force? The better question was ‘which did the Hold need now?’ That likely depended on how much force was used...
“What do people say Borel has done?”
Tag: Darvin
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Post by Darvin on Dec 15, 2010 22:26:30 GMT -5
He shrugged, "Nothing specific, that people talk about. Rumour is he knocked a couple people down, without a second thought. One of 'em didn't get back up. Rockfall, of course." He said, dubiously. "Nasty thing, that."
He shifted a little, uneasily, "But, that's just rumour. I haven't heard more than that."
"It's difficult. For the most part, they're not that bad of people. Both have their ups and downs. Garol has quite the liking for power. He's softer about it than Borel, but he's still very ambitious. It's an admittedly unfortunate thing." He sighed, softly. "His sons... Untested. Young. They are least likely, I think. I'm not sure who all of this will go to - Or if they'll even do things normally, all of this considered."
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Post by Evelie on Dec 22, 2010 16:52:49 GMT -5
“Well, it’s as you said; people cling to tradition in times of turmoil. But, this is hardly a ‘traditional’ situation.” Evie shrugged, somewhat futilely, “No matter how it is resolved, I hope it is done sensibly.” And without any more rockfalls, she thought to herself. “If that can be accomplished quickly, even better. Though it would be a grave error to let desire for haste cloud good judgement.”
She turned her head to ‘look’ at him - at least, at the rough location his voice came from. She didn’t even know how tall he was, let alone where his face was, but it was a habit she had yet to break. “Out of curiosity, which of the choices do you favor, D’vin?”
Tag D’vin/Any
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Post by Darvin on Dec 23, 2010 4:41:48 GMT -5
He gave a brief, guilty smile, as if caught, and his voice was tinged with it. "Me? Well..." He shrugged, and abruptly chuckled, as he realized he wasn't entirely sure of his own answer. "I don't particularly like any of our candidates," he paused, thoughtfully, "But I suppose I'd go with Borel. We know his measure." His voice carried an audible shrug. "Garol is a good man, but he's both soft and ambitious. I'd rather not have to worry about that ambition manifesting itself in a bad way. Borel has a temper, but it does get people motivated. As far as the sons?" He shrugged, yet again. "We don't know much of anything about them, but I've noticed good leadership doesn't breed very deeply." He chuckled, softly, at that, thinking of a very specific Brownrider.
Tag: Evelie
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