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GwennethSindalúnë
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Post Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 11:18
Welcome to all! A few things first: I’m looking for people who love to write and want to join a serious RP. No one liners, or trolls leaping from the bushes never to be heard from again, please! Also, I’m not looking for Aayla (check her out in the DB here: Aayla ) to be immediately rescued by some passing ranger or elf or warrior or anyone else. I would like to pursue the story to the slavers’ training camps…what happens from there is up to YOU! So jump on in please!


Born Free

“Put the sword down…now!” The voice was forceful, the speaker used to being obeyed without question.

Aayla trembled: They had her cornered! She didn’t stand a chance. But she gripped the hilt of the sword even tighter in her small fist. Cornered or not, she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. She knew these men were slavers, and had heard the tales of the horrors inflicted on those whom they captured.

She stood her ground as the four men approached. They moved easily, confident that a mere girl child would be helpless to defend herself. We’ll see about that, Aayla thought, and swung suddenly with the sword, forcing the men to jump back to avoid the dangerous blade cutting an arc through the air. The tip caught one of the men on the thigh and he let out a bellow of pain and anger.

The leader, the one who had spoken earlier, raised an eyebrow at the little girl’s last ditch effort to protect herself. Stronger than she looks, he thought. Maybe she will make a good field slave, working from dawn to dusk to bring in her master’s harvest. He grinned wickedly at the thought and hissed a sudden command: “Get her!”

Instantly, the men leaped forward in unison, and Aayla barely had time to lift the heavy blade before they were upon her. She fought like a wildcat, but it was useless. The brute whom she had cut earlier slammed her face first into the ground and secured her hands behind her back, with a length of rope which he tightened so that it bit cruelly into her skin. Another bound her feet, and before she knew it, she was upside down, being carried through the house on one of the men’s shoulders with no more ceremony than a sack of grain.

Once outside, the slaver tossed her casually to the ground, and rejoined his companions who were canvassing the small village in search of anyone else who hadn’t already escaped into the hills. Groaning, as she lifted her now bloody face from the dirt, Aayla tried to clear her vision enough to look around. She could see several other bound figures on the ground around her and wondered how many others the slavers had captured. They all looked in about as sorry a state as she was.

Struggling tentatively against her bonds, Aayla quickly gave up on freeing herself: The ropes were tight enough to prevent any movement, and the knots secure. All she could do now, was wait to see what would happen next…



[Edited on 21/12/2004 by GwennethSindalúnë]
Mistah_Finderáva
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 12:13
(Hi! I'd like to join, but I have a question; where in Middle-Earth is this happening? My character, Hoshash Raz Hanhar, is in the char list! Note that she's not evil, just... peculiar )

Hoshash kept rummaging through the abandoned backpack, cramming whatever food she could find into her mouth. All too soon, the leader of the slavers which she was temporarily following entered the cottage.

"Come on now, slave! We´re leaving!" Hoshash bared her fangs. He called her that hateful word! She went out of the building, stomping her feet to show how angry she was. She went up to the slaver. "Nar!" He looked down at her. "What?"
"Hoshash not a slave! Hoshash have a name, use that instead of snaga!" The slaver sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Alright then, Ho-chash! Is that better?"

Hoshash muttered some well chosen words in orcish and sat down on a stone. As soon as the leader of the slavers turned his back on her, she stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. Then she curiously looked the captives on the ground over. Especially interesting was that little human thing, the other humans had called it a 'child'. Hoshash went closer and squatted down a few meters away, tossed her head this way and that as she stared at the gold-haired child.

"Dur raz art," she mumbled.


('dur raz art' means 'head of gold' in the pseudo-black speech I'm using Nar means no, and snaga is of course, slave.)
LadyYavanna
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 04:03
(Hi, my character's name is Lothiel. She's a half-elven. The slavers had gone to one city before they arrived to where Aayla was captured. She knows very little about warfare and that's how she was captured.)

Lothiel was bound by chains and was knelt on the floor in the mud. She couldn't believe how foolish she had been to get caught. One of the slavers came up to her and grabbed her by the hair.

"Where's your Elvish magic now? Come on now, do some magic." He smirked. Lothiel just stared at him and wondered how there could be such foul people in the world. He didn't like the way Lothiel was looking at him so he stepped back, and hit her across the face. She let out no cry. She fell into the mud and was then raised up by the chains on her arms.

"Not so majestic and powerful now, are we?" She did not respond, but her attention was drawn to a small child on the floor. She was trying to fight back as her enemies pressed in around her. This small child wouldn't go down without a fight. Lothiel's hope was rekindled and now her mind began to work out a plan on how to escape once they reached the slave camp.

"Alright let's move out. There are no more here." The leader said as he mounted his horse. One of the slavers grabbed Lothiel's chains and pulled her along as he rode atop his horse. Lothiel kept looking back trying to find the child, but one of the slavers traveling on foot hit her with the hilt of his sword. Everything went dark as she fell towards the ground.

"Now look what you've done. Give her to me. She is strong and could be used in the fields, we can't leave her here.'
Clementine
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 05:04
- Mind if I join? I think I'll be a bad guy for once...and echoing Mistah_Finderáva's question...where is this set? My character isn't in the DB...I'll try and set one up soon...This RPG looks like fun *evil laugh* :evil: -

Karna pulled the rope around the girl’s wrists as tight as he could. ‘Serves you right for what you did you little wretch’ he thought. Karna gazed back down at the slash on his thigh. “Damn it” he said under his breath. He had been surprised when the girl managed to cause him this much pain but bashing her head into the ground had given him the satisfaction of revenge.

The cut had been deep but Karna knew better than to show his weakness again. In the cruel world of slavers, if you were deemed weak you too could become one of the working slaves. Karna deeply regretted his short outburst right in front of Treg, the leader. ‘Once we get back to camp, I’ll make this one pay…’

He grabbed her carelessly and carried her on his shoulder to where the other slaves were being kept. Karna saw another slaver toying with an elf. ‘A good catch, no doubt he’ll be rewarded for it.’

Karna dropped the girl onto the ground and saw her raise her head slightly and look at the other slaves. She struggled in vain against her bonds but Karna knew his knots would not be so easily undone.

Treg looked at Karna and grunted a command, “We’re leaving, get them on the wagons.”

Karna echoed this command to the other slavers who began picking up the slaves and moving them to the huge wagons waiting outside the village. Karna picked up the same slave girl and dumped her onto the back of the wagon which was slowly filling up with slaves. It was crowded and some of the slaves were actually lying on top of each other, not that the slavers cared at all. As long as the quarry was alive when they returned to the camp, their new masters would be happy. The slaves which seemed to be the fittest were kept on foot and made to run alongside the wagons.

Another slaver dropped the elf, who had collapsed, onto the same wagon as the girl. “Interesting catch Durg” Karna said to the slaver. “Yes, looks like I’ll be having a good meal when we get home!” Durg said chuckling, “And what about you? I hear you took quite a beating from the little girl over there…” Durg said mockingly and other slavers were laughing. Karna could feel his temper rising, how dare they insult him like this? “Just wait till we get back to camp…” He growled, managing to hold back the wave of anger about to crash over him.

He looked down at the girl with a menacing glare, she stared back resolutely. Karna jumped onto the wagon and whipped the horses, leaving behind the burning village of the slaves.
SilverLoom07
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 05:06
(Hi, I would like to join! I will be an old man character. He is an elder of the elf city Hunvel, which is an elvish city but he is a man. Anyway...)

Nelbet sat in the mud of the slave roundups. He was one of the first to be captured. This was not the first time he had faced judgement like this. He had been through many different things in his unnatural long life. He had faced a round up so intense that he was thought of as dead and left with the others. Then he escaped.
Nelbet watched the men around a young, pretty little girl. he smiled and thought of how she reminded him of his granddaughter, Nille. He drifted off to the times when he and she would walk in the forest together and share secrets of life and happiness. And she would tell him things that made him wiser, the things only children can say. Then a sharp slap came across her face. He flinched and looked up. It was a slave driver. He cursed at him and pushed him up. He made realized that the group was moving. Where had the girl gone? He began to look around and was for the first time in his slave life, afraid.
He came up along the orc that he had seen in times before. he was not afraid of him and desided to talk.
"What does a capable orc, such as yourself, have bussiness with these men" His voice was old and feeble, but within it was a power beyound that of anyone there.
GwennethSindalúnë
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 05:29
(OOC: Hi Mistah Finderava, Lada Yavanna, Clementine and SilverLoom. Welcome to you all and thanks for joining! Oooh, an orc character AND a slaver! Very cool! I think this is going to be fun. Oh, to answer your question: I didn’t have a particular location in M.E. in mind…it could be anywhere.)

Ayla watched from the ground, helpless, as the leader spoke briefly to a small orc nearby. She didn’t understand everything the creature said, but was able to make out the name Hoshash. Was the orc a slaver too, she wondered? She had always been told that orcs were evil. But, to her great surprise, as soon as the men had their backs turned, the orc stuck out her tongue in an impish gesture that seemed totally out of place.

The creature sidled suddenly closer, and stared at Aayla in frank curiosity. “Dur raz art,” she pronounced confidently, and Aayla could see her sharp pointed teeth as she spoke. Her heart beat harder in her chest. What did that mean? Was the orc going to eat her? Memories of the band of orc who had slain her family shook Aayla from head to toe, and she tried in vain to scoot backward, away from the creature.

But already the slavers were returning with the last of their prisoners and the orc scuttled away to do their bidding. The large brute who had bound Aayla earlier lifted her up by her hair, causing her to wince in pain. “This one’s too little to keep up,” he snarled. “Put her in the wagons.” And before she could cry out, Aayla was tossed into a wagon which carried a large number of slaves, some sitting, some lying. “Just wait till we get back to camp,” the slaver growled at her, his eyes menacing. She strugged to sit up, still bound hand and foot, and wound up in one of the corners, her shoulders braced uncomfortably against the wood on either side. Around her, she could see a number of other captives, some bound with rope, and others in chains. They stared back at her, their eyes revealing their emotions: fear, anger, and despair.

A sudden commotion to the side made everyone turn to watch: One of the men was taunting a young woman who appeared to be an elf: “Where’s your elvish magic now?” he goaded, but the woman remained silent. Aayla caught her breath as the slaver struck her, a sudden a cruel blow which nearly sent her sprawling, but the woman didn’t make a sound.

“All right, let's move out! There are none left here!” shouted the leader, and the small caravan shuddered into motion. Unable to brace herself, Aayla nearly fell over as the wagon jolted suddenly forward. Ahead, she could see the elf woman who appeared to be staring back at the wagons, as if searching for someone. But the slaver who held her chains struck her with his sword and she fell to the ground, apparently unconscious.

“Now look what you’ve done,” snapped the leader. He dragged the elf across the ground toward a wagon. Grunting in disgust, the slaver picked up the lifeless form and dropped the elf beside Aayla. “Don’t damage the merchandise!” he snarled at the men. “Nobody minds a slave with a few marks, or even one that has been flogged, but no one is going to buy a drooling idiot who can barely stand because she’s had her brains knocked out!” he spat in disgust, and mounted his horse, gesturing for the caravan to move forward once more


[Edited on 20/12/2004 by GwennethSindalúnë]
SilverLoom07
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 05:46
Nelbet suddenly saw the girl. She was the wagon ahead of him. Unfortunatly he was made to walk behind the wagon in a long line of chained souls, who no longer fought their opressors. He thought of how he may meet her, if he even got the chance. Without thinking he fell and hit his head on a rock. It hurt but a strange idea came to mind. He lay still and groaned his best groan to indicate pain. A slaver pulled him up and shook him, "Get up you lazy old man!'
Nelbet looked him in the eyes and said, "Where am I?"
The slaver groaned, "We have a crazy one! He won't go for much..." With that he threw Nelbet up into the wagon. Nelbet was in chains, which were in fact heavy. But despite that he knew he had to get to the girl. He crawled to her and sat as close as he could. He noticed the general concerne on her face as she looked at the lifeless elf infront of her.
"Don't worry," he placed a kind hand on her shoulder, "Elves are amazing creatures. She will be fine in the morning, trust me."
Then he realized he had not formally introduced himself, "I'm Nelbet, what's yours?"
LadyYavanna
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 06:06
Lothiel awoke to the creaking sounds of a wagon. The sun had risen and was high in the sky. She slowly opened her eyes. The pain had now gone, but she was still somewhat dazed. She looked up and found the small girl and an elderly man staring at her. She slowly lifted herself up and sat in front of them.

"Suliad fellow prisoners. I am Lothiel. I scarcely remember what happened."

"I am Nelbet and you were hit by one of the slave drivers. Let me see your head."

Lothiel turned her head in the direction of Nelbet and waited as he looked carefully upon her wound. Lothiel's eyes fell upon the child, who had a look of great concern in her eyes.

"I am fine. Please I will heal quickly enough, but what of the child. I saw when those fowl creatures hit her." She loudly cursed in Elvish causing all the other people in the wagon to turn in their direction. "Forgive me. I should not use such language, but how could they beat a child.' Lothiel moved closer to the child and touched her soft cheek.

"Where are we headed?"
GwennethSindalúnë
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 19, 2004 08:50
Aayla tried to shift her position as the bumpy wagon lurched across the uneven ground, but with her hands and feet still tied, it was difficult for the little girl to move. She noticed that the prisoners who had already been in the wagon were wearing heavy chains on their wrists and ankles, while the new captives were bound with rope. The slavers must have gotten a bigger haul than expected, she thought, and they had run out of chains. Aayla was one of the only ones whose hands were bound behind her back instead of in front of her, and she thought grimly of the slaver whose leg she had sliced in her desperate attempt to protect herself. The cruelly tight bonds were probably just the beginning of his revenge for the wound, she realized and her stomach tightened at the thought.

Her eyes fell on the elf who lay unconscious at her feet: The beautiful young woman's face was marred by an ugly wound at her temple which was bleeding freely. Weren't elves immortal, she wondered? This one lay so still, was it possible she was dead? Aayla's thoughts where interrupted when one of the slavers dragged an old man to the wagon and unceremoniously dumped him in with the others. "We have a crazy one" the slaver proclaimed in disgust as the old man sat up slowly under his heavy chains. But as their captor kicked his horse forward once more, the old man moved closer to Aayla and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking into his eyes, it was clear that there was nothing wrong with his mind, and his next words confirmed Aayla's thoughts: "Don't worry," he said. "Elves are amazing creatures. She will be fine in the morning, trust me." And somehow, Aayla did trust him. There was something about his eyes which radiated warmth and understanding. So when the man continued: "I'm Nelbet, what's your name?" the normally taciturn little girl responded in a quiet tone: "Aayla".

Together, they rode in silence for some time until the elf at Ayla's feet finally stirred. To the little girl's delight, she sat up and stretched as if she had merely been asleep all of this time. Sensing their gazes, she turned and smiled at Aayla and Lelbet, greeting them quietly so that the slavers could not overhear: "Suilad fellow prisoners. I am Lothiel." Her voice was pitched low and her tone melodious even when speaking the common tongue. Nelbet responded, introducing himself and checking Lothiel's wound which appeared to be healing at an incredible rate. Truly, elves were amazing beings, Aayla thought as she smiled shyly at the young woman.

Everyone in the wagon turned as the elf suddenly cursed loudly in elvish, muttering about the men who had attacked Aayla. Nelbet glanced nervously around, but none of the slavers appeared to have heard the outburst. Lothiel reached out, and with a touch as soft as a breath of wind, she held Aayla's cheek for just a moment. The little girl stared back, her wide blue eyes spellbound by the elf -the first of her race Aayla had ever seen.

"Where are we headed?" The question was directed to the group in the wagon, but it was Nelbet who answered: To the camps," he said, frowning. "The slave camps." At his words, a frightened silence fell over those in the wagon. Everyone knew that slave camps were the place where new slaves were "broken" and trained to obey orders without question...The place where they gave up their names, identity, and free will to become mindless, hopeless slaves. The methods used in those camps were the stuff of horror stories passed on by young men around dark campfires late at night, and none of those in the wagon cared to find out first hand whether the stories were true or not.
Mistah_Finderáva
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 20, 2004 04:43
Hoshash turned her head, looking up at the old man who had spoken to her. She shrugged at his question.

"Nowhere else t'go... Still better than starving out there," she said, nodding towards the forest. As she stood there watching the dark conifers, a faint memory of the last time she had hid in a forest, to get away from punishment when she was a slave herself, surfaced. That horrid, stormy night when the trees themselves had spoken, whispered to her in a language she could not understand, and yet... The memory was too frightening to endure, and with a terrified squeak she ran and hid under a wagon.

As the caravan began to move out and the wagon Hoshash was hiding below moved away from her, Hoshash got to her feet and ran after it, climbing into it. As the slaver who held the reins noticed her, he turned to her.
"Get off the wagon, you irritating little maggot!" In response, Hoshash stuck her tongue out at him. He grabbed her dirty leather tunic and brought her face up close to his own. "What - was - that?!"

Hoshash, who had been born under an Uruk slaver's whip and used to the treatment the orc slaves were getting deep down in Mordor, wasn't at all that afraid of these human slavers. As she cleared her throat, as if to start a speech, the slaver narrowed his eyes. Then Hoshash spat him in the face. The slaver let her go with a shriek of surprise and fury, and she leapt off the wagon just in time to avoid being hit by the thick leather whip he wielded. She laughed scornfully at him, then she ran off and climbed into one of the other wagons.

The leader of the slavers rolled his eyes, pretending that he didn't see that. He'd had enough trouble with the orc, but then again, his or her or its - whatever - night vision and ability to smell danger was reason enough to keep it alive. Although the little critter was getting really ruthless in its so-called 'jokes'...

As Hoshash looked around in the wagon she had climbed into, she suddenly noticed she had ended up in the same wagon as the young child and the old man that had spoken to her earlier. She crept up into a corner, suddenly feeling a bit shy and not really knowing what to do or say.
SilverLoom07
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 20, 2004 06:27
Nelbet noticed the fear that ran thorugh the slaves bodies as he uddered the words slave camp. He felt bad for doing this and he knew the ride there would only be long and painful. Nelbet had been in slave camps before. He had be 'broken' done and made to work. But he never lost his spirit. So many times he would be broken again and again. He thought of how the wounds were brought apon him. And how he still had scares, deep raw scares that burdened him in his old age.
He looked at the young girl, he wished he could make her disappear and let her run far away, to somewhere safe. A tear came to his eyes and he coughed uncomfortably.
The elf seemed very mad about the abuse to the child,and he could understand her anger. Abuse to children always sent chills up his spin and casued him to weaken at the thought.

He first noticed the orc he ahd talked to when he looked over in the corner of the wagon, the orc was hiding it seemed. A shyness went over it and it no longer made eye contact with any of them. He wondered the true reason for it being here. If it were a slaver, it would be beating them freely. But it sat there and did nothing. Nelbet knew that this orc was not bad, but good. At least for an orc.

Nelbet spoke aloud, so that everyone could hear, "We need not be afraid. This is merely the darkness before the dawn. And let me tell you, I have been through things much worse than this." the wagon grew quite with his words still in the ears of everyone. "Trust me people, these people will face their judgement in due time, and your souls will not suffer for ever." Nelbet looked at the elf and child. He hoped they understood.
Mistah_Finderáva
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 20, 2004 07:43
Hoshash had listened with faint interest at what the man said, but one thing made her wonder.

"Whazz'a soul?" she asked.
Clementine
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 20, 2004 05:19
Karna growled with fury. The damn orc had spat in his face. 'Could this day get ANY worse' he thought. He shot a guick glance at his leader who rolled his eyes as if to say, 'leave it be, its not worth your fury.' Karna wiped his slimey face against his sleeve, removing the orc's vile mucus. Hoshash had been with the slavers for some time now. She was useful, Karna had to admit, but was the nuisance worth it? Karna would love to be the one to teach the rat a lesson but the leader forbade it, to Karna's annoyance.

He focused on getting the horses to go as fast as possible, "The sooner we get back to camp, the better..." He muttered. Behind Karna, the slaves were discussing something. Karna could almost smell their fear. He smiled to himself. "They really don't know whats coming for them..."

He turned back over his shoulder and saw the old man talking to the crowd of slaves. "Quiet back there or I'll MAKE you shut up." He roared to them, happy that he could finally take out his anger on something. "And don't even think of speaking again or your tongue will be the first thing you lose when you get to the camp."

Karna looked into the eyes of the old man and to his surprised he saw not fear, but what looked like hope. The man truly believed that he would be alright? That somehow they would be saved? Karna could have laughed out loud, but he only smirked as he struck the horses again with his long, black whip.
GwennethSindalúnë
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 20, 2004 07:01
(OOC: Yay, our thread is taking off! Hey Clementine, you write an amazing evil slaver! *shudders convulsively* He's a nasty piece of work, but human too! Awesome!)

Aayla listened as Nelbet spoke to the slaves. His words brought hope even in the midst of the horror of their current situation. There was something about the old man, Aayla thought, something intangible that gave his words power and conviction, and all of them could sense it. She wondered if he were one of the wizarding folk she had heard tales of. But then, if he were, why was he chained up as a slave? Aayla shook her small head: Nothing made much sense right now, and having had her face slammed forcibly into the ground hadn't helped matters. She had a splitting headache which was only getting worse with each passing second as she endured the jarring ride across the uneven terrain.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aayla noticed the same orc that had spoken to her earlier: The creature swung herself into the back and settled in a corner of the wagon. For an instant their eyes met, and then the orc looked away, as if embarrassed. What did she want, Aayla wondered. She didn't understand whether the creature was a slaver or not: her behavior seemed contradictory. On the one hand, she was free to come and go as she pleased and seemed to be helping the slavers, but on the other it was only too obvious that none of the men cared for her and she mocked them at every opportunity. Who was this enigmatic creature, Ayla frowned, trying to figure it out.

She was pulled from her contemplation by the orc's gravelly voice: ""Whazz'a soul?" she growled and everyone stopped for an instant, to stare at her. But before Nelbet could respond, the slaver who was driving the wagon turned back and snarled at them all to keep quiet. Everyone fell silent, fearing what the brute might do if further provoked. Only Nelbeth appeared unafraid.

The journey continued in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Aayla felt as if her very bones were rattling around in her body as the wagon jolted over the uneven ground, and her headache increased with every jarring moment. To make matters worse, she could no longer feel either her arms or her feet, as her circulation was cut off by the tight bonds. She struggled to remain wedged in the corner, but exhaustion was beginning to set in.

Just as the sun was nearing the horizon, the slavers directed the carts into a narrow ravine which was bordered by tall cliffs on either side. Aayla leaned her head back to see how high they went and spotted several men who stood atop the cliffs, in full armor, holding bows ready. They were dressed in similar fashion to the slavers, and Aayla thought this must mean they were approaching the camp. Certainly, the narrow ravine made an ideal entryway: easy to defend from above should anyone attempt to enter without permission, and impossible for a slave to escape through without being brought down by the archers who stood guard. So, they were nearly at the slave camp, Aayla thought: The training ground where slaves were beaten down and broken until they obeyed any order without question. She shuddered and tried to steel herself for the trials ahead, wondering what the camp would look like.

Aayla's question was answered only a few moments later as the wagons finally emerged from the ravine onto a path which appeared to be the rim of an even deeper canyon. For a moment, Aayla held her breath as she looked down at the spectacle below in awe: The canyon was bordered on all sides by tall cliffs and this path which was guarded on all sides by more of the archers. The only way up or down, she saw immediately, was by a system of pulleys where slaves were loaded onto platforms and then raised or lowered. She marveled at the slavers' ingenuity: The canyon was as effective a prison as any they could have built: it was quite simply impossible for any of the slaves to climb the sheer limestone cliffs to escape.

Within the canyon which stretched out for a vast distance, Aayla could see that various areas had been set up: One appeared to be made of barracks to house the slaves, another held a wide river, a third consisted of limestone excavations where slaves toiled under the whips of the overseeing guards. Aayla tried not to look too closely at the fourth area, but even as her stomach clenched in horror, she couldn't tear her eyes away: This must be the training area, she realized. In this space, stood a number of contraptions which could only have been described as instruments of torture, and she could hear the agonized cries of the slaves far below.

Aayla squeezed her eyes shut and tried to find courage from somewhere within herself. Already, the slaves in the first wagon were being unloaded and dropped onto a wide platform of logs, soon to be lowered into the canyon. She knew that, all too soon, it would be their turn. The slaves stared at each other, fear now apparent on every face as they contemplated the bleak future which awaited them below.

[Edited on 21/12/2004 by GwennethSindalúnë]
LadyYavanna
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 20, 2004 07:45
Lothiel was in deep thought. All around her she could still hear voices. The voice of Nelbet as he ave hope to the hopeless. The ruthless slave driver as he snickered at the thought of torturing the fresh meat. The hush that fell over the wagon of slaves as they finally arrived at the camp, but she drowned it all out. Where was her brother?

************************************

Gil-Auron rode slowly into the valley. He was smiling because after ten years he would finally see his sister again. She had been away on an excursion. Traveling Middle-Earth helping those she could, but finally she had sent for him and said that she grew homesick. Gil-Auron looked around the valley. It was empty and desolate, and had a strange feeling about it. Gil-Auron dismounted and began to throughly search the area.

"Lothiel!!!Lothiel this game isn't funny. Come on. We have to get moving." His sister usually played games such as these, but she would have already revealed herself. Gil-Auron is worried.

'Lothiel!!!!!Lothi......" He attention is drawn to a small glimmer of silver. A gift he had given her when they were growing up. It was a small swan made of Mithril. Something had definitely gone wrong. She would never leave this. He had to find her.

************************************************
Aayla was rubbing her head. The pain had apparently not left and the bonds holding her hands and feet were too tight. Lothiel could do nothing about the bonds, but she could help with the pain. She approached Aayla slowly and kissed her forehead. Her mother had taught her to do that. The cart stopped abruptly and she fell over slightly. They had arrived. The screaming and crying could be heard throughout the ravine. Pain and suffering were the only present powers here. No hope was there in the hearts of these slaves. Lothiel pulled out of the wagon, rather gently, by the Orc. As she stepped upon firm ground, she stopped for no reason and began to sing. A song the maidens of her land sang when their loved ones went of to war. This song gave hope to even the most wretched of hearts. It was smooth and sweet, much like the sound of a river, and though many knew not the words, they understood that this was a song of hope.

SilverLoom07
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 21, 2004 05:05
Nelbet wanted to tell the orc what a soul was. Oh how he wanted to. He hoped that his words would free this beast from his evil lifestyle. But all to soon the slaver told him to shut up. Nelbet met with his eyes, he showed no fear. Why should he fear him? He was an evil man, and Nelbet was a good man. In all of Nelbet's experiences good always overcame evil.

The camps came into full view. He looked around at all the devises that would be used on all the people. He admitted to himself that this camp was indeed different. It was much more firece and evil. Pain and fear surged through him, he could feel it all around. He closed his eyes slowly and listened to the wind, the only thing close enough to nature that could not be changed.
He was suddenly jarred from his thoughts as the wagon stopped. He looked ahead and saw the wagon ahead was being unloaded. He looked at the beautiful girl, she looked pained. The elf women kissed her forhead. He knew how special elves were. The elves of Hunvel had many healing powers and this was one of them. He thought back to when he lived in the forest of Hunvel, in the safety of the elves.
Then their wagon was ready, the wagon back was opened and the slavers began to grab poor souls out and threw them to the ground.
Nelbet rose on his knees and spoke, "Keep faith my people, This place shall meet its end."
Mistah_Finderáva
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 21, 2004 05:28
Hoshash carefully lifted one of the captives out of the wagon and placed her on the ground. Then she scratched her ear. This one was different from the others, although Hoshash couldn't really figure out why. Then she suddenly began singing. Hoshash didn't know what happened at first, so she shied away. It sounded just like those whispering trees! Although it wasn't threatening this time...

"Oooh, za-nashra jabat shulg-gîjab," she said quietly. The slavers around her shook their heads, very few people outside Mordor could understand this language, and Hoshash was one of the few of her own people who could speak it clearly.


((Za-nashra jabat shulg-gîjab - The woman speak tree-speech))
Clementine
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 21, 2004 04:45
*Aw thanks Gwenneth! Your a great writer yourself, the mastermind behind this lil RPG of ours Hey I was thinking that the camp could be situated in the Harad area, south of Mordor and that the village that we just left could have been in South Gondor? That would make the slavers Haradrim and most of the slaves would be from Gondor...Sound okay to everyone? I won't use any of this info in my post for now, but let me know what you all think!*

Karna pulled hard on the reins of the horses and wagon halted outside the main area of the slave camp. It was a magnificent sight. The camp had been masterfully designed for efficiency and to keep the prisoners and slaves in check. The torture area had been kept in the open, so that the screams would echo through the canyon, reminding any slaves who were tempted to attempt an escape of the punishments they would receive. The camp had never let anyone escape and things certainly weren't going to change in the near future.

Karna grinned, happy to be home. It wasn't exactly comfortable living, but he was used to it. Walking to the back of the wagon, most of the slaves had already been removed and Karna helped to unload the rest of the cargo. Suddenly the elf began to sing! Karna ran over to her and promptly whacked her across the face. "Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?!"

He turned to the other slaves, "You are here to take orders. If you don't do as you are told, punishments beyond your imagination will be waiting for you, just over there." He pointed to the torture area where many of the slaver's ingenious contraptions lay for all to see. The slaves followed Karna's hand and were stared at the area with horror.

Karna left the slaves to Durg, the slaver who had caught the elf, to take care of. They would be moved into their barracks where they would be given their numbers and told how things worked around here. For now Karna needed rest and food. He left behind the terrified slaves and headed towards another platform that would lower him down into the slavers' area.

As he was about to step onto the platform, however, Karna was called back by the leader. "What do you think you are doing?" He questioned Karna. "Sir, to get some food and some well deserved rest." The leader shook his head menacingly. "No, you were beaten up by a girl, Durg over there captured an elf and yet YOU are the one who is leaving all the work to him? Tell me, who is the more deserving one?" The leader glared at Karna, and he knew better than to argue back.

He trudged back to the slaves. Durg gave him a superior smile and laughed in his face. Karna could have punched him so hard all his yellow teeth would fall out but he knew it would only get him in more trouble. "Follow me," he growled to the slaves, grabbing hold of the chains that linked them all together and led them onto the platform, the orc followed behind.
SilverLoom07
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 21, 2004 05:12
*The Gondor thing is a good idea, but Nelbet isn't from there. Hunvel isn't close to Gondor but he has been traveling. So it's ok with me.)

Nelbet watched as the people were unloaded. All seemed very exhausted and almost at the breaking point of losing ones soul already. Nelbet was lowered 'carefully' to the ground. He got up on his feet. He young girl was being taken out as well. He went to her and stood by her.
"Stay with me," he said at a whisper, "no child can survive without a wiser soul to follow." He held her hand. They were chained together, he was in the front and she was in the back. Good, he thought, now I can protect her from any forcfull blows.
Nelbet looked at one of the devises of torture, it was covered in blood and seeing this caused him to see what had happened earlier. He saw a young man tied to the devise, and his hands were clamped. The machine was pulling and suddenly a large knife came out and pricked him. This happened many times to the man and he was screaming in agony. The little prickes had become too much. A slaver pulled him away from it and yelled, now cut yourself! Nelbet quickly pulled himself away from his vision. Then he became very silent, the blood was that of the innocent and he knew that much more would be shed.

[Edited on 22/12/2004 by SilverLoom07]
LadyYavanna
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 21, 2004 05:55
Lothiel had finished her song, when suddenly sh was struck hard. She fell once more, but this time anger filled her heart. She stood up abruptly and looked for her attacker. He had decided to go and rest, but the leader forbade it. The slave driver had no choice, but to help unload the slaves along with the others.

"Do you have loved ones?" The slave driver ignored her. "DO YOU?!? What would you do if you knew your daughter was being tortured and brutalized? If she was at the mercy of a man? A man who would strike a child, and for what, money, food? You dare strike only the weak and those who are bound, but I ask you. Would you strike a strong and valiant person with the means to defend themselves. Would You!?! All you can do is hurt, but pains and cuts can be healed. You kill the weak and those that you deem useless, but death is in reality a release from this world. What more can you do? Nothing. You can do nothing more."
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 21, 2004 06:51
(Clementine, the locations you suggest sound perfect! Thanks for coming up with that! )

When Lothiel kissed her, it was like nothing Aayla had experienced before: a gentle warmth seemed to emanate from the elf's lips and spread across her entire forehead. For an instant, Aayla blinked, feeling the heat intensify and then it was gone...and with it, her headache! Aayla moved her head experimentally from side to side, but the pain was truly gone. Gazing up at Lothiel in awe, the little girl mouthed a silent "thank you" so that none of the slavers could see.

A few moments later, the unloading of the prisoners began. The occupants of their wagon were more fortunate than most who were being dragged or pushed roughly by the slavers. The orc seemed to be in charge of unloading their small group, and she was gently lifting each captive to the ground, actually ensuring that they had firm footing before moving on to the next. It was strange, Aayla thought, as the creature lifted the little girl's small frame delicately from the wagon to place her on the ground beside Lothiel, that it was the orc who treated the prisoners more kindly than the men of the same race.

Suddenly, Lothiel took a step forward to the edge of the cliff and, staring down at the canyon below, she began to sing. For Aayla, it was as if the very music which flowed from the elf was enchanted: everyone stopped doing what they had been doing, frozen in time as they listened to the achingly lovely melody which carried on the wind and echoed through the canyon below. Aayla had never heard anything more beautiful in her life and the song gave her renewed hope and energy somehow.

Then the slaver who had captured her earlier strode over and ended the song abruptly, backhanding the elf so that she stopped mid note. "Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?" he snarled menacingly. He reminded the slaves of what awaited below for those who dared disobey orders, and many looked down in submission, well on the way to being broken already. But the elf's song seemed to live on inside Aayla, the haunting melody filling her with the courage to face what lay below.

The next few moments were a flurry of activity as the slavers rapidly untied those who had been bound with ropes, exchanging them for heavy chains which they placed on the captives' wrists and ankles. The ankle chains were designed to be short enough that the slaves couldn't run, but had to shuffle along awkwardly instead. The wrist chains were fastened from one slave to the next, so that they were all tied together in a long line.

To Aayla's relief, Nelbet quickly stepped in front of her as the slaver moved down the line, and Lothiel moved in close behind, so the little girl was chained between her two newfound protectors. She tried to wiggle her fingers and toes which were so numb from the hours of being bound that she could no longer feel them and winced as pins and needles shot through them as the blood returned. To make matters worse, the rope had chafed her badly and she now had open sores on her wrists and ankles which hurt as the heavy shackles were fastened. Aayla found that she was having a hard time standing up on her weakened ankles, but Nelbet took her hand to steady her and told her to stay close to him. Aayla stepped closer to the old man, grateful for the reassurance.

A moment later, the leader's scornful voice caught her attention: He was talking to the slaver whom Aayla had injured earlier during her capture. "You were beaten up by a girl," the leader sneered, and sent the resentful looking man back to work with a derisive gesture. Glaring daggers, the slaver stomped back to the slaves and gave Aayla a look that made her want to hide behind Nelbeth and Lothiel. Clearly, he blamed her for his bad fortune, and she trembled as she thought of the terrible price she was probably going to pay for her desperate effort to defend herself. But, in the next moment, the slaver forgot all about Aayla as Lothiel spoke angrily: ""Do you have loved ones?" The slave driver ignored her. "DO YOU?!?" she insisted? "What would you do if you knew your daughter was being tortured and brutalized?" She continued in a speech which amazed all those who heard it.

Stalking to the head of the line, the slaver picked up the chains and yanked the first prisoner forward onto the platform. Each slave was forced to follow in turn, bound together by the wrists. As the long line moved forward, the only sound was that of the clanking chains and the creak of the wooden platform as the captives shuffled to make room for everyone. Aayla felt a wave of dizziness as she peered over the unprotected edge of the simple log contraption to the canyon far below.

Once everyone was loaded the slaver stepped aboard, followed by the orc, and the man gave the order: "Lower the platform!" Two of the slavers on top operated a large winch that slowly let out the ropes, causing the platform to slowly creak downwards toward the slave camp below.


[Edited on 23/12/2004 by GwennethSindalúnë]
Clementine
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 22, 2004 06:57
*I think we need more people in this RPG!*


"What more can you do? Nothing. You can do nothing more"

The elf finished her speech and Karna gave her a glare. "Done?" He asked mockingly before giving the elf another shove onto the platform. On the outside Karna appeared unaltered by the elf's words even though he felt something stir deep within him. He didn't really know what this feeling was but it was either something he had never experienced before or hadn't felt for a long time. For a moment he screwed his eyes up in confusion. Before anyone could see this he opened his eyes and continued to glare at the slaves as he usually did.

He had heard his fair share of slave cries and pleas for mercy. However, no one had ever said things that made him think like this elf had. "Would you strike a strong and valiant person with the means to defend themselves?" Her words echoed in his head as the platform slowly lurched downwards into the camp.

He tried to shrug off these feelings and thoughts and focused on the task at hand. The platform reached the bottom and stopped with a loud thud. "Come on, move!" He instructed the slaves dragging the chain forward making the slave stumble forward. The ground was dusty and dry and the platform had cause the dust to swirl up as though they were in a sand storm.

Karna led them towards a long hut which would be their new 'home', though the word was hardly appropriate for the uncomfortable and cramped lodgings they would be forced to stay in.
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 23, 2004 06:33
Hoshash jumped onto the platform just as it began sinking down into the canyon. It was too full for her to get a place to stand, so she simply clinged onto one of the ropes that held it together. She leapt to the ground as it reached the bottom, and then stepped aside as the slaves were pulled past.

Hoshash noticed how the old man and the pointy-eared woman walked close to the gold-haired child, just as if they were - protecting - her from the slavers. This confused her. They were bigger than the child, older and most surely stronger than her. Why did they protect her? Why did they... care?

She kept pondering this as she followed them to the hut. The other humans in this camp wasn't like that. They were much like her own folk, only the strongest survived... Why weren't these like that? Didn't anyone tell them? The weak were crushed and the strong survived, that was how it was meant to be... wasn't it?

Hoshash was so deep in thought, so when the slaves stopped outside the hut she walked past the entire line, and bumped into Karna.
GwennethSindalúnë
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 29, 2004 08:12
Aayla shuffled along in the long line of prisoners led by the slaver. As small as she was, she could see nothing ahead of her but Nelbet's back, and so she leaned to the side when the line came to a sudden halt in front of a low building in which she assumed they were to be housed.

And so she witnessed the orc who walked past her, apparently lost deep in thought and gasped when the creature walked right into the slaver. What would the already irate man do, she wondered, feeling strangely protective of the ungainly orc who had handled her and the other prisoners so gently.
SilverLoom07
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: December 30, 2004 02:44
Nelbet noticed the concerned look that the girl had. He looked around for what she was looking at, then he saw the orc, unfortunatatly run into the irate man. He wanted to help the orc, the orc was alone in this strange world of men and elves. He wanted to talk, but he didn't. He turned around and smiled at the girl, hoping hes smile would help.
Mistah_Finderáva
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 01, 2005 04:54
The slaver flung his arm out at Hoshash as she bumped into him, causing her to trip over her own feet and land with a thud on her back. When he turned and saw who and what had walked into him, he kicked her, his foot connecting forcefully with her ribs.

A painful gasp and a wheeze escaped her mouth, but no other sound. For a while she just lay quiet, without moving, but then a low growl began to rise in the air, challenging the other sounds of the slavers' camp. Hoshash slowly got to her feet with bared fangs, raising her head and staring the slaver defiantly into his eyes.

For a second, all trace of kindness and humility was gone from her eyes, briefly showing the nature that had caused ages of hate and fear among men and elves. But only for that brief second. Hoshash didn't need to look to know that the slaver leader's gaze shot spears into her back.

The growl died and Hoshash snorted at Karna before walking past him and sat down beside the building, leaning her back against the wall, doing her best to act like nothing had happened and like she wasn't in pain at all. After some moments the little orc got to her feet again and scuttled into the building where the new slaves were supposed to stay.

[Edited on 2/1/2005 by Mistah_Finderáva]
Clementine
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 01, 2005 07:00
Karna kicked the orc who was lying on the floor. How dare it walk right into him! Karna growled with frustration. At least the orc looked like she was in pain. Karna let him enjoy a moment of pleasure as he saw the orc wheeze. Inflicting pain always had a positive effect on Karna. But to his surpirse, the orc began to growl. He slowly raised an eyebrow. The orc stared straight into Karna's eyes and he saw something wild there, something he hadn't seen before. The slaver stared back just as defiantly, knowing that the orc would do nothing.

Hoshash turned away but Karna continued to watch her, surprised to see that the orc didn't seem to be in much pain.
'What is with all these little vile creatures today? First the stupid girl, the old man, the elf AND now the damn orc are trying to rebel against me.' He thought as he pulled on the chains of the slaves.

The little girl was huddled behind the old man, searching for any sign of comfort from him. Karna tugged on her chain so that she fell over. A few slaves bent down to help her up but Karna roared at them to leave her alone. "She's a big girl, let her get up herself..." Before she had hardly stood up he yanked on the chain again forcing her to stumble forward.

He was leading them to their new quarters, which was a long hut. There was a huge lock that secured the heavy door, a security measure so that the slaves wouldn't be able to leave their lodgings at night. Karna pulled out a large roughly hewn key from his leather belt. It was not a beautiful key, just plain, made of iron. He inserted it into the lock and twisted it until an ominous click could be heard by all the slaves. Pushing the door open, he grinned at the slaves and said mockingly, "Welcome to your new home..."
GwennethSindalúnë
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 02, 2005 01:15
For an instant, the orc's defiant snarl startled everyone and the nearest captives stepped backward, suddenly reminded that it didn't pay to get in the way of an angry orc. But mercifully, the creature didn't attack anyone: she retreated to a side of the building out of sight and everyone heaved a silent sigh of relief. Although she was certainly smaller than most orcs, no one felt as if they would like to try to fend off those large sharp fangs or powerful arms.

The slaver seemed to be beside himself with fury by this time, and he took out his anger on Aayla, holding the length of chain in front of her and yanking it savagely forward so that she fell to the ground. When Nelbeth tried to turn and help her, the slaver snarled at him so savagely, he was forced to turn around once more and follow the line of slaves. Aayla half walked and was half dragged the rest of the way to the long, low hut which she assumed was to house them. The slaver confirmed her thoughts an instant later:

"Welcome to your new home..." he said with great sarcasm, giving the chain one final vicious yank before unlocking the large and heavy door with a key he produced from his belt. The captives hesitated momentarily on the threshold, but with nowhere else to go, they shuffled in and stared around in dismay at where they were to live from now on.

Aayla blinked at the sudden transition from the bright evening outside to the darkness within. Only a few small windows which were blocked by heavy steel bars let any light into the building and it took several moments for her eyes to adjust. She had imagined rows and rows of cots, and perhaps a small shelf for each prisoner, but she immediately realized that there would be no such luxury for the slaves-in-training. The large room was bare of any furniture, and the large stone floor offered no comfort whatsoever. In fact, the only thing visible inside what Aayla now realized was actually a large cell, was the gleam of shackles which appeared to be tethered to the wall at regular intervals.

She let out an involuntary moan, thinking of the long, cold night ahead, and then quickly looked to see if the slaver had noticed. But fortunately, just at that moment, another slaver entered the room. "Karna!" he greeted the man heartily. "I see you've brought us a sorrier lot than ever!" He spat derisively at the nearest slave. "I don't think we will get much of a price for this group of good for nothings!" The slaver reached over and pulled Nelbeth out of line taking in the elderly frame at a glance and snorting contemptuously.

The slaver whom Aayla now knew was named Karna didn't seemed phased by the greeting at all. "Rorch!" he exclaimed heartily, "I didn't see you come in! Yes, they are a sorry bunch aren't they? But you'll soon turn them into nice obedient slaves, won't you?" Karna chuckled nastily, pleased at the thought. "May I present to you," he said with a mock bow toward the line of prisoners, "your new master and trainer. You need not know his name, because if you call him anything other than 'Sir' or 'Master' you will quickly discover exactly how much pain a human can endure." He laughed even louder at the thought.

"All right, enough fun for tonight," said Rorch. "Let's chain them up for the night and we can get started nice and early in the morning." A wicked grin split his ugly face at the thought of the next day and how he would break each and every one of the slaves in turn. One by one, the captives were quickly unchained and led to a bare space against the wall where their feet were shacked to prevent any chance of escape. Some of the prisoners were so terrified by this time, that they tried to run out the door as soon as they were unchained, but Karna and Rorch were quickly joined by several more slavers and anyone who resisted immediately had their hands chained as well as their feet, so the rest went quietly without a fuss.

Aayla found herself tethered to the East wall. She could tell the direction because she could just make out the final rays of the setting sun through the tiny barred window opposite her. Fortunately, as the slavers had proceeded in order down the line, she was once more tethered between Nelbet and the elf. She had worried that it would be Karna who would unchain her. Who knew what he might do to her, furious as he still was. But, to her great relief, it was the orc who sidled into the cell a few moments later. "There you are Hoshash," snapped one of the men. "Well don't just stand there, make yourself useful you stupid lump!" The orc named Hoshash hovered indecisively for a few seconds, and Aayla wondered whether she was going to snarl at the men with those terrifying fangs of hers again, but she seemed to regain control of herself, and quickly went over and unchained Aayla, leading her to the next empty set of shackles much more gently than any of the men would have.

But then, something unexpected happened: When Hoshash went to fastened the shackles around Aayla's ankles, it became immediately obvious that the large iron rings were designed for adults, not children, and unlike those used in the chain, the size could not be adjusted. Aayla knew that she would be able to slip the shackles on and off her tiny ankles as easily as an anklet. For an instant, she held her breath, afraid that this meant she would be tied up with rope once more, and her eyes met the orc's. They stared at one another, Aayla's pleading eyes meeting Hoshash's dark blue ones. I've never seen an orc with blue eyes before, thought the little girl. Oh please, don't give me away, she begged silently with her eyes and waited to see what the orc would do.


[Edited on 2/1/2005 by GwennethSindalúnë]
Mistah_Finderáva
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 03, 2005 01:28
"Darûkûrz flâgît plashnaki," Hoshash muttered to herself as she went over to the slaves to shackle them to the wall. As she came to the child, she noticed that the shackles was way too big for the child. She looked at the child. This was wrong, this way she would be able to get free whenever she wanted to! But then again... She narrowed her eyes. Was that really a bad thing?

Hoshash glanced towards the humans, then at the shackles, then at the girl. Then she smiled briefly, an expression that looked somewhat misplaced in the face of an orc. 'No,' Hoshash thought, 'it wouldn't be a bad thing.' She put the oversized shackles on as if nothing had happened, the she went on to the next slave.

"Be careful, little one," she whispered to the girl as she passed. For a moment she stopped, confused. Now where did those words come from? Then she shook her head. There were enough strange things going on in this world.


(Darûkûrz flâgît plashnaki - I had some trouble with the translation here, but it says "Silly stupid morons", sort of.)
Clementine
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 08, 2005 12:28
"Well don't just stand there, make yourself useful you stupid lump!" Karna said, frowning at the orc. He and Rorch chained the slaves in their places. Karna always enjoyed seeing the slaves' expressions on their first night in the camp. He was always able to see the fear, confusion and the complete loss of hope in their eyes.

The orc took a while to chain the little girl. Karna considered checking to see what was going on but realised that the orc probably didn't have enough brains to do up the chains quickly. Chuckling at the stupidity of the orc he walked out of the cramped building into the cool, clear night. Rorch and Hoshash followed soon after and Karna locked the hut again. He could almost here the whimpers and cries of despairs that were going through the minds of the slaves.

He headed cheerfully back to his own cabin on the opposite side of the camp. It had been a long day and now, Karna could finally rest. He breathed the air in deeply, used the tinged smell of it. He had lived in this area for so long he no longer took notice of the faint stench that issued from the North, from the land of Mordor.

As a child, Karna had lived for the most part alone. His family, though large, was distant from him. He was always left out, often ignored, even by his parents. He would often wander through the desolate lands and learn to live even in these extreme conditions. He hunted animals, whether he needed to or not. Karna had enjoyed watching them die, slowly, in pain. He was discovered by slavers and was taken in and trained to torture and drive slaves. As he grew up, he gained a reputation for being cruel and completely ruthless with the slaves. He was practically the perfect slaver.

However, after the events of the day, Karna knew his reputation was on the line. The little girl had struck him a very painful blow, which was still stinging badly. Karna glanced down at it, the blood had dried and stained the surrounding skin a deep crimson red. The wound itself appeared to be infected. Karna cursed under his breath. The little girl was to blame for this. He could hardly wait for the next day to begin.
LadyYavanna
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 11, 2005 03:38
(I'm assuming that the hands of the prisoners are not bound. There was no mention of shackles on their wrists. The ~ means she is thinking to herself and if there are ever * before a post that is my character speaking in Elvish.)

As the slave driver stepped outside of the cell. Lothiel couldn't help but sense that he smiled. She knew that the words she had spoken had stirred something inside him, but now they were overshadowed by the great hate and malice in his heart.

"We shall see who is the first to break." She whispered to herself. Not even the Orc, with her great hearing, could have heard what she said. Lothiel had noticed that the child and the Orc had looked at one another a hint of compassion in the Orc's face. Lothiel looked down at the shackles around the child's ankles and noticed they were far too big.

~"Eru, you truly work in mysterious ways."~

Lothiel bent down and stopped the Orc before she was able to leave. She brought the Orc closer to her and whispered into her ear. "Thank you for what you have done tonight. You have shown a great kindness that is not characteristic of your race. I, nor will the child, will ever forget the kindness you have shown here today Hoshash. Thank you." Th Orc departed somewhat stunned at what had just happened. She closed the door slowly and the door creaked and to each of the slaves that sound was their farewell to their freedom. Lothiel turned to the child. "Indeed the love and benevolence in your eyes must be great to inspire kindness and, if I might dare to say, love from an Orc."
GwennethSindalúnë
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 12, 2005 07:04
For an instant Aayla held her breath as the orc gazed into her eyes, clearly unsure of what to do about the ill fitting shackles. And then, to Aayla's great surprise, Hoshash calmly closed the shackles around her tiny ankles and then bent closer, whispering in her strange harsh voice: "Be careful, little one," before shuffling away to the next prisoner. Aayla quickly bent her knees underneath her so that the men could not see the loose cuffs around her ankles.

Finally, the last prisoner had been secured to the wall, and the men headed for the exit. Karna gave Aayla one final look of pure hatred as he passed her, and she shrank back against the wall instinctively, wishing she could melt into the solid surface.

The orc was the last to leave, and before she could head for the exit, Lothiel pulled her close, whispering something in the startled creatures ear. Aayla couldn't make out what the elf was saying, but Hoshash looked stunned as she left the building, the men locking it securely behind her. Aayla turned to look at Lothiel, wondering what she had said to surprise the orc so greatly. The elf smiled at her gently and spoke as if they were continuing a conversation they had already begun:
"Indeed the love and benevolence in your eyes must be great to inspire kindness and, if I might dare to say, love from an Orc."

Love from an orc? Aayla pondered the idea. It seemed an inherent contradiction! And yet, there was something about Hoshash that belied her rough orc exterior. Aayla slowly uncurled her legs, gazing at the oversized shackles on her small ankles. Yes, the orc had certainly acted unlike any of her kind before her, the little girl thought. But the question was, what good would it do for her to slip out of her bindings? The door was locked and the tiny windows were much too high for her to reach. She looked at Lothiel, wondering if the elf had some kind of a plan in mind.
Mistah_Finderáva
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: January 12, 2005 11:55
Hoshash froze for a brief moment as the woman stopped her. As she leaned closer, the woman whispered something in her ear.

"Thank you for what you have done tonight. You have shown a great kindness that is not characteristic of your race. I, nor will the child, will ever forget the kindness you have shown here today Hoshash. Thank you," she said. Hoshash stared at her. She actually -thanked- her for helping another? She was grateful?

Hoshash looked around at first, unsure of what to say. As the slavers signed for her to come out of the building, she gave the woman a brief smile, then she turned and followed the men outside. Before closing the door, she looked inside one more time, nodding towards the girl, the woman and the old man. Then the men closed the door.

Well outside, Hoshash shrugged and pulled her rough cloak closer around her. The sun was setting slowly, and even though the slave camp was located far south, it still got quite cold during the nights. Hoshash went into one of the alleys that ran between the storehouses, huts and buildings where the slavers and slaves slept. She, however, slept outside as she was never let into the houses except for on 'special occasions' which often meant punishment.

Below an abandoned, broken wagon Hoshash had made her own little hut out of torn planks and other trash. From here she had quite good shelter, it had a good view over the open area in front of the huts, and it was difficult for people to sneak up on her should they want to. She wrapped the torn, dirty blankets around herself and laid down on her stomach, looking out over the camp. As the darkness deepened, her eyes slowly began to glow eerily, until her black skin blended with the night and all that could be seen in the alley was two blue, glowing oval spots.
LadyYavanna
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Post RE: Born Free (Everyone is welcome!)
on: March 16, 2005 05:54
(I love this forum and I don't want to see it go down, so I'm gonna try and get it moving again.)

Morning came and the sunshine poured in through a small window in the ceiling, but the light of the sun is somewhat dulled by iron bars. Lothiel was hit by reality as she looked around her and realized where she was. No one else was awake, but soon the slave drivers stumbling outside woke all of the prisoners, including the small Aayla.

"Good morning, Aayla." The child was so thin and bruised.
Lothiel couldn't help stare at the small golden haired child. Lothiel's eyes fell upon her small ankles and the LOOSE CHAINS.

*"THE CHAINS!! THE GUARDS WILL NOTICE!!"*

She looked towards the door as its rusty hinges announced the entrance of the slave drivers, and to Lothiel's dismay, it was not Hoshash that was to unchain them. Lothiel watched carefully as the guard began to unchain each of the prisoners. He was only two people away from Aayla. Ideas were racing through her head, but nothing would work. The guard was about to kneel down and unchain Aayla when Lothiel clenched her hands together and hit the guard hard on the back of the head and then kicked him in the face. He fell to the floor and Lothiel grabbed the keys and quickly unchained Aayla. The commotion alerted the other guards and five of them made their way to the holding cell and with clubs and knives in hands. Lothiel stood in front of Aayla.

"Don't worry Aayla. I won't let them hurt you."

"You should be worryin' about yourself and not about that puny runt."

"Why should I worry? If you kill me then I will be released from this hell hole and go onto to live with my kin in the western shores. Kill me and I will be one less slave to worry about. Kill me now and let me live in eternal bliss away from this wretched land."

Karna stepped forward and laughed.

OOC-Crappy I know, but this is all I could think of. Sorry Clementine for making your character laugh, it was the only ending I could think of.
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