Be bloody, bold and resolute [Herd Meeting]

[OPEN] Be bloody, bold and resolute [Herd Meeting]

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354

Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5

Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT

Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod

10-31-2013, 04:08 PM

The shame of loss still burning under his skin, Torleik barely stirred when he first heard the call. Why go? He had fought to change this power structure and he had failed. Why go and subject himself further to a yoke he was ill-prepared to shoulder? A sigh passed his lips, and he pushed himself to his feet. The movement was gingerly done and slow; he still ached, though it seemed he was healing just fine.

Shuffling his way through the crowd that had formed upon Deimos' summoning, the dual-horned rabicano gazed curiously at the Reaper. Ulrik had fought for this male, bled for him.

Why?

Deimos had a daughter. Torleik had come upon her at the Basin Lake a few days prior - and she seemed to be present now, at this meeting. Was that offspring the result of a political or calculated decision, or was it out of love? Could the Reaper love?

These thoughts clouded Torleik's once clear picture of the Basin Lord. Unsurprisingly, Deimos' speech was short and to the point. Illynx came next, a mare Torleik had yet to meet, and her displeasure with this change in leadership was wholly obvious. Observing this made Torleik wonder, but in truth, he was too weary in mind and soul to give machinations for power much thought. He let the others speak their piece, feeling a whole vat of nothing for the scene playing out before him.

Why did this matter? This wasn't his home. It would never be his home. Why did he care who led, why they led, what their plans were? Why did he bother? Apathy threatened to fill up all the spaces his emotions had left void. Closing his eyes, wishing he could be anywhere else but here, Torleik let his thoughts wander. He thought of his home by the waters, his small, fiercely loyal herd and the bonds they had with each other, his family. He had always tried to make his mother and father proud. Always tried to be a good man, like they'd hoped for him to be.

Why couldn't he do good, then? Why could he not bring about the good he wanted to?

"Oar...son...look at me." Torleik felt an uncomfortable sting behind his eyes as his mother's voice drifted to the forefront of his memories, her pet name for him painful in its affection. "Good men mean well. They don't always do well. You cannot change the world in one day.

A sad smile briefly curved his lips. Those words had been spoken to him when he was barely more than a child, but he had never forgotten their wisdom. Perhaps now was not the time for him to push his will on this situation. Perhaps now was the time to observe. Lifting his head, Torleik waited for the mare who was speaking on Deimos' behalf to finish. He found he didn't like her much. Something far too deliberate about her words. Her speech finished, Torleik stepped forward a little.

"I submit myself as a candidate for the position of General." He paused, meeting Deimos' gaze. "I was allowed in on condition that when the time so called, I would spill my blood for this land. I do not intend to leave any doubt that I hold to my word."

This would be good for him. His battle with Ulrik had made him realize that he had lost a step somewhere between home and this place. Torleik knew that if he had been in peak shape, even Ulrik's cowardly use of that mechanical beast would not have stopped the dual-horned stallion from winning. A thought occurred to him, then, and he spoke once more.

"Among my people, warriors were also storytellers. Bloodskalds, they were called. If this can be of use to the Basin...I offer my abilities, such as they are."

[[Just to make it clear, no one but Ulrik and Torleik know of their battle, so unless a character learns directly from Ulrik or Torleik, they would have no knowledge of the fight]]

TORLEIK
"Your half-grasp can't exterminate my stand; you can't rule with a broken upper hand."