Open Fields of Grace
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Kalt Ravenshire
Medic / Alchemist

Age: 38 | Height: 6’ 1” | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 3 - Strg: 9 - Dext: 24 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 6 - Int:
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#1
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.

    When it came to working with his hands, Kalt was quite talented. He had never been someone who enjoyed dealing with people as a job – unless they were at the end of his blade – so he always liked discovering new places peacefully. Today, the breeze had a gentle nip to it, but it was generally very nice for a pleasant stroll.

    His guitar hanged around his neck with the strap he had fashioned to it, fingers plucking the strings softly as he walked, crystalline eyes taking in the lands. There was a certain beauty in desolation. Of course there was some civilization and feeling of community, otherwise people would be at each other’s throats and life would have been impossible. Considering the fact that he was a person, he wasn’t exactly an outside observer, but he was good at seeing through the eyes of someone on the outside. It was amazing how resilient people were. Cast them to the wolves, and while some will lead the pack, not a single one of them will have a problem blending into the ranks. It was truly an amazing thing.

    He continued gently strumming his guitar, playing along with the soft winds and moving grasses, though no words accompanied it. Kalt could sing, there wasn’t a doubt about that, but sometimes he just liked the peaceful sounds that his guitar made. One of the worst parts of coming to the new world was not having his guitar with him. As soon as he found a roof for himself and his little girl, a guitar was his next priority. He’d made a few, so it wasn’t hard to whip one up.

    His attention was drawn suddenly from the sound of his music – though he didn’t stop playing – to the sound of someone approaching. The assassin quirked his brow, automatically defensive, but not making a move to show it.
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#2

Bastien had a day away from the bar and had decided to take a walk. He was not entirely sure of the geography of the area but was quite content to get lost for a day, basking in the simple experience of taking in the world. After all, this world was all new to him.

He had never been one for rolling fields before, preferring the wonders of man-made architecture. But now that he was discovering everything for the first time and what was man-made was so basic and broken...he found a new appreciation for the grasses and flowers splayed out before him.

He heard something on the wind that he could swear sounded like music. Missing the concerts and street buskers of his home city he tried his best to follow the sound. Knowing he was going the right way when he could recognise an actual tune in the air he smiled wide and sped up a little, trying to find this mysterious musician.

Finally he saw a man sat in a field playing guitar, seemingly by himself. Bastien approached softly, quietly, not wanting to disturb the song. Eventually he was behind Kalt and wished to stand and listen, but the man seemed to stiffen even though his music continued. Walking around to his front, Bastien waved and went to sit down across from him.

"Hello, friend. I heard your beautiful song and had to come and see. It has been so long since I have met a fellow artist. This place seems almost destitute of good art. Is it a specific song or just where your fingers take you?"


BASTIEN
This tiresome desire to shock and amaze

Perhaps I’ll grow out of it one of these days

Kalt Ravenshire
Medic / Alchemist

Age: 38 | Height: 6’ 1” | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 3 - Strg: 9 - Dext: 24 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 6 - Int:
KYSMA - Mythical - Unicorn (Superspeed)
Played by: Sage Offline
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Posts: 202 | Total: 698
MP: 345
#3
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.

    The man flashed a kind smile at the newcomer, and he adjusted his grip on the guitar just slightly, glancing down at the strings for a brief moment. He learned long ago how to make quick and terrifyingly accurate assessments of people he met along the road in his life, and this man seemed relatively harmless from the looks of it. Of course looks could always be deceiving. Regardless, that would be discovered, he supposed.

    It seemed the other man had a habit of acting familiar with strangers. He called Kalt ‘friend,’ and the assassin shoved down a roll of his eyes. Kalt never had a friend before – save for Ashe, though that turned romantic – and he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the thought. As he did with all feelings that he didn’t understand or like, he shoved it out of his mind to deal with another time.

    ”I never learned to play formally,” Kalt answered the man. ”Taught myself in my teen years, so I simply let my fingers converse with the strings.” He smiled at the thought. Playing the guitar was always a way to escape the cruelty of his life and create something beautiful, so he always enjoyed meeting fellow musicians and artists. It seemed this man fit into the category, so it won him a few points in the assassin’s mind.

    Crystalline eyes sized up the other man quickly and raised a brow. ”Name’s Kalt,” he said, finally stopping the music, reaching his gloved hand out to offer a greeting. ”What do you create, hm? Music? Literature? Paintings?”

Bastien
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#4

Kalt seemed to hesitate then replied with a friendly enough manner, so Bastien relaxed and sat back on the grass, nodding along to his words.

"Teaching often produces boring, one note artists, I think." He commented, thinking back on the strict rules of the art classrooms he had sometimes visited. "It is better to learn by oneself and have the chance to break from the norm." Of course, he had charged a considerable amount of money at home to tutor noble children in the ways of art, but he had always felt good art came from the common man and stiffening the talents of spoiled brats made little difference.

"Kalt." Bastien nodded and took the hand, shook it with a handshake equal parts strong and graceful (practised). "I am Bastien De Rosieres. I have never limited myself to just one medium, though at the moment I find myself attracted to the siren songs of the canvas and paints the most. I have been at times a performer, singer, writer, though; anything the spirits of bohemia can ask of me. Are you a musician by trade?"


BASTIEN
This tiresome desire to shock and amaze

Perhaps I’ll grow out of it one of these days

Kalt Ravenshire
Medic / Alchemist

Age: 38 | Height: 6’ 1” | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 3 - Strg: 9 - Dext: 24 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 6 - Int:
KYSMA - Mythical - Unicorn (Superspeed)
Played by: Sage Offline
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Posts: 202 | Total: 698
MP: 345
#5
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.

    So far, Kalt seemed to like how Bastien presented himself. The man seemed a little overly showy and slightly flamboyant for the assassin’s taste, but he wasn’t terrible company, which was all that Kalt could really ask for in a place like this one. Plus, anyone who could appreciate good music was a friend to Kalt.

    Bastien De Rosieres. He liked the way it rolled off the tongue, and he wondered briefly if it was the man’s real name. The thought was only smothered when he remembered that most people didn’t usually go by aliases. When they parted the handshake, Kalt brought his hand back, absently picking at the strings of the guitar softly with his other arm resting lazily on his knee. It was a strange thing to allow himself to let go of the daily stresses and just enjoy what life had to offer.

    ’Are you a musician by trade?’

    The question brought a breathy chuckle from his lips, and he glanced at his guitar, shaking his head slowly. ”If life was so simple, I believe I’ve go mad quite quickly,” he said. It wasn’t meant as an insult to Bastien in any way, though it could have been taken as such. Kalt’s mind was highly scientific. In fact, music and sketching were the only artistic outlets he allowed himself, and music was the only one that was truly freeform. ”Before I was brought to this world, I was one of the most infamous assassins my world ever knew.” He grinned at the man and bounced his brows playfully. Whether or not he believed him didn’t really matter to Kalt, but hey, Bastien asked!
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#6

Bastien wasn't expecting a laugh to be the response to his perfectly legitimate question, but he wasn't offended - more entranced by the answer given afterwards. He didn't even argue that a life lived for ones craft was hardly simple and always rewarding, even though the words were immediately on his tongue.

"An assassin!?" He repeated back to Kalt, fascinated. Leaning forward, he spoke in hushed tones as if someone would be listening.

"Oh, you must tell me more." The word assassin brought to mind anonymous men in hoods sneaking about Doge's palaces, mysterious shadows far from his world of art and light; it was exciting in a way few things were in this place. "Have you ever killed a King? Someone grand? Or politically important. Or oh! A Religious figure. Or perhaps something less grand but altogether world-ending for someone. I'm sure you must have stories."

His face held an expression of absolutely rapt attention as he waited for Kalt's answer, wanting already to know it all.


BASTIEN
This tiresome desire to shock and amaze

Perhaps I’ll grow out of it one of these days

Kalt Ravenshire
Medic / Alchemist

Age: 38 | Height: 6’ 1” | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 3 - Strg: 9 - Dext: 24 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 6 - Int:
KYSMA - Mythical - Unicorn (Superspeed)
Played by: Sage Offline
Change author:
Posts: 202 | Total: 698
MP: 345
#7
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.

    Well, this was...unexpected. Kalt had half expected Bastien to hear the truth and suddenly make up some poorly constructed excuse about having to leave. But no. Instead, the other man was actually interested in the dark, violent life of the assassin known as Silver Wing. For a moment, Kalt wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed. The last time he had spoken to anyone about what he had done, it had been in the king’s dungeon with a knife being dragged over his body. It really had been a sorry excuse for torture... He could have done a better job on himself than the king’s men did, but hey, being an assassin paid better.

    For once since he had gotten to this world, Kalt’s mind became completely stimulated...shocking that it was himself as the topic to accomplish it. His absent guitar picking stopped, and he leaned forward over the instrument with a gleam in his eyes. ”Oh, you bet your ass I have stories,” he said, grinning at the man. ”I didn’t kill a king, but certainly many people of high status. There was one time I killed the queen’s best friend right in the castle while everyone slept. That was a hell of an escape story.” He thought for a moment, taking a sharp inhale through his nose. ”I did kill a foreign prince once. It was actually his younger brother who order the contract. Jealousy thing, wanted the crown for himself. I was fifteen when I did that one. The people knew me as Silver Wing.” He grinned at the memory.

    There was very little remorse in him for the lives he had taken. Guilt was taken from him when he was a child, and he learned how to deal with death rather quickly. ”Being an assassin isn’t all fun badassery, though. There’s a shitload of training and pain that goes into it. I’ve got scars all over me from my life in the Guild. It’s intense, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.” He wasn’t entirely sure that was true sometimes, but his scars were the stitches that held the man together, made him who he was. That much he knew he wouldn’t trade.

    He narrowed his eyes analytically at the other man, as he once again picked at his guitar strings. ”You aren’t afraid?” He asked curiously. ”When a man admits living a life of trained killing, it isn’t common someone sticks around long enough to ask for stories!”
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#8

Bastien grinned wide when Kalt decided to play along and tell him stories. This had been what he had loved in Venice, the chance to talk to so many different people and learn their tales, take them and turn them into art in mental alchemy. He gave appropriately shocked and impressed reactions to each part of Kalt's past, his hands animated and excited.

"Silver Wing..? Ooh. How poetic." He commented, thinking the name great, not unlike the names of the performers he would work with on the streets.

He didn't have that many scars himself, but Bastien understood that dreams were often not as glamorous as stories could make them. For all of his carefully curated image of being a man of high culture and artistic thinking, he had spent many years cleaning dishes and sweeping floors for extra cash; hell, right now he was a bartender simply for something to do.

"Afraid? Pah." Bastien waved his hands dismissively. "No one here knows me well enough to order someone to kill me. And if you were to do that, you'd do it by coming to me, surely? It would be inefficient to sit and play in a field and wait for your targets to come to you. I'm sure I'm safe. And besides..." His eyes glittered with mischief as he grinned. "I think I could take you anyway."


BASTIEN
This tiresome desire to shock and amaze

Perhaps I’ll grow out of it one of these days

Kalt Ravenshire
Medic / Alchemist

Age: 38 | Height: 6’ 1” | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 3 - Strg: 9 - Dext: 24 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 6 - Int:
KYSMA - Mythical - Unicorn (Superspeed)
Played by: Sage Offline
Change author:
Posts: 202 | Total: 698
MP: 345
#9
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.

    The assassin had never thought his feared title to be poetic, but he wasn’t going to take it away from the other man. Bastien had an interesting way of looking at the world, and Kalt wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret it. He had met far too many people for one lifetime, but never had he met someone who was as interested and attentive when it came to listening to his assassination tales. He wasn’t even entirely sure that he liked it.

    Kalt had mixed feelings about his life as an assassin. He was thankful for it of course, as it made him who he was, but it was also a plague on his mind. His life had been darkness, it had been torture (literally), and it made him an outcast in society. The idea of someone – a stranger – accepting his lifestyle…one that he actually hadn’t given up, not that anyone needed to know just yet…was almost unfathomable.

    A smile and light laugh graced him briefly at Bastien’s grinned comment. The man likely didn’t have a chance taking on a trained assassin, but it could be fun to try one day. Kalt had missed knocking people on their asses back in Northwind.

    With a short nod, he raised his brow. ”I take that as a challenge, sir,” Kalt said, his gaze gleaming at the other man. ”We should train sometime when I’m better suited for combat. Last thing I want is to tear my only semi nice pair of pants.” It was a joke of course, as he had magic to fix any tears and he really didn’t care what he wore to train, but the point stood. He was just having a nice walk with someone today!
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#10

"Train? Heh. Alright." Bastien had honestly let himself go a little in the time since he'd arrived here. He used to regularly work out, lifting weights and walking around Venice nearly every day, but here...there had been less reason to do so. Perhaps a regular sparring partner was just what he needed, as long as there were no deadly weapons involved.

For a little while after that he stayed quiet, humming and tapping his fingers on the ground as he listened to Kalt play. The songs sometimes sounded like ghosts of tunes he remembered from home, distant memories drifting through the notes.

Eventually he shifted to lean forward and address Kalt again. "So. I assume you are not from here. Tell me of your world before, and how you came to be here. I arrived in my sleep, but it seems some have a more dramatic tale. I would love to hear yours. If it is anything like the rest of your life, it promises to be exciting."


BASTIEN
This tiresome desire to shock and amaze

Perhaps I’ll grow out of it one of these days

Kalt Ravenshire
Medic / Alchemist

Age: 38 | Height: 6’ 1” | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 3 - Strg: 9 - Dext: 24 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 6 - Int:
KYSMA - Mythical - Unicorn (Superspeed)
Played by: Sage Offline
Change author:
Posts: 202 | Total: 698
MP: 345
#11
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.

    It made sense that the man seemed slightly hesitant about training. He didn’t exactly look like the sparring type, but looks could certainly be deceiving. His mind wandered briefly to Ashe, the five-foot tall, doe-eyed nineteen-year-old who was Northwind’s most infamous assassin. A smile was brought to his face at the thought. His best student and the love of his life…

    The silence that followed the comment Bastien made about training was welcomed. Listening to the world around them, the crisp air still holding the gentle warmth of Leafchange, quiet camaraderie with no expectation. It was a fascinating thing not to have to hide himself in the presence of another person – not an assassin.

    A low huff of a laugh escaped Kalt at Bastien’s question. ”I’m not sure if it’s exciting,” he said honestly. Because of the path his life had followed, Kalt’s concept of exciting was a little skewed. ”This is the third world I’ve been in. I’m originally from a kingdom called Northwind. It was a violent, war-torn land since long before I was born. The kingdom was dying so some of the magic-users… We called these specific ones, shadow mages… Some of the shadow mages opened portals to a new world for people to escape to. That place was Northaven. Was beautiful but very dangerous, and we were contained in a settlement with a massive wall surrounding it. I honestly don’t know how we were brought here. The selection of people who were brought to this world seems random, but who knows?”

    He continued to pick at the instrument and glanced at Bastien, then. ”And what of your world?” Kalt asked. ”Am I right to assume you’re also not of this world?”
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#12

It was intriguing to hear that it was possible to do a move between worlds intentionally, Bastien not having heard of anyone else having done that yet. He supposed it made sense - he now knew that magic existed, after all. It was not that much of a stretch, but the thought still made him give out a small 'hum' sound and frown.

"It does appear to be random, yet I have met a few from the same worlds as each other..and none from mine. Perhaps there is a selection from each?" It was perhaps rather egotistical to assume he had been selected as the one man on Earth worthy to be a pilgrim here, but it made quite a lot of sense to Bastien.

"Your assumption is correct." He never passed up a chance to talk about Venice, even if it caused a pain in his chest every time. "I am from a place called Venice, on a world called Earth. It was a place that...well, it wasn't perfect. But there was art, and culture, and history. I was someone of import there, someone who knew where he was."

His voice had taken on an overly personal and vulnerable tone for talking to a stranger, so he shrugged and smiled. "But I like it here too. Where else can you meet guitar playing assassins in a field? It is a land of new experiences."


BASTIEN
This tiresome desire to shock and amaze

Perhaps I’ll grow out of it one of these days

Kalt Ravenshire
Medic / Alchemist

Age: 38 | Height: 6’ 1” | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 3 - Strg: 9 - Dext: 24 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 6 - Int:
KYSMA - Mythical - Unicorn (Superspeed)
Played by: Sage Offline
Change author:
Posts: 202 | Total: 698
MP: 345
#13
Kalt
I say goodbye to my weakness,
So long to the regret,
and now I see the world
through diamond eyes.

    The same question floated around Kalt’s mind, wondering if there had been some kind of selection, but the odds seemed rather low. He could perhaps understand the usefulness of someone like himself or Ashe, but some of the others that came through... Well, maybe they had great personalities.

    Venice. Sounded like it could have been a delicacy back in Northwind… Maybe a disease… Regardless, he wasn’t judging. He listened to Bastien talk about his homeland and smirked lightly. It was interesting to learn about someone’s history, and he enjoyed it. The assassin thought of people as puzzles, each piece gathered helping to put together the entire picture. Some were simple and could be done in an afternoon, while others were an incredible mosaic that would take time to fit each piece together properly.

    ”New experiences, indeed,” Kalt acknowledged with a slow nod. New experiences, a chance to start over, maybe pick up where a story wasn’t meant to leave off. A new world meant a chance to put aside whatever happened in the past in exchange for a fresh future. A great theory, but he wondered just how realistic the thought was.

    He continued to casually strum the guitar and quirked a brow at the man. ”So, tell me of your life in Venice?” He asked curiously. He hadn’t known there were other worlds outside of the ones he had experienced firsthand, but he was beginning to realize there were infinite possibilities for those willing to look.
Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
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#14

"Life in Venice..." Bastien trailed off, looking away for a moment with a wistful smile. Where to start? With the small details, like the chocolate pastries sold on the markets? The golden filigree on the dresses? The masquerades? There was so much. But Kalt had asked for his life especially, so he decided to begin with himself.

"I owned a place, I called it a refuge. For the young artists there. There was little support for those who were not born into noble families but wanted to pursue the arts...So I, after my own success as a performer and painter, became benefactor. The deal was this: They gave me half of profits from their sales or shows, and I gave them a house, a family and mentorship. Even those that moved on frequently visited." Talking of all of this felt odd, bringing up remnants of a life that no longer really felt his.

"...Maybe...eventually I can have something here similar. But it is hard to build a hub for culture when you do not know the culture you exist in. The history here is all wrapped up in that damn Atheneum, which is an unorganised mess."

He shrugged, picked at the grass. "I think the thing I miss the most is the sun. It's not the same, here. It doesn't have the same heat."


BASTIEN
This tiresome desire to shock and amaze

Perhaps I’ll grow out of it one of these days



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