MANDORALLEN OPEN POST

[inshiningarmor]

Characters: Mandorallen, CT, Yelena, and whoever else!
Date: anytime during the landfall event
Location: Mainland OR Tu Vishan!
Situation: Mandorallen is making some expeditions onto the mainland, making sure people stay safe. Feel free to run into him on the mainland, or somewhere on the turtle, if that suits your fancy.
Warnings/Rating: Warning for probable mindless violence on Mandorallen's part.

[ Mandorallen has never been a man much for insatiable curiosity. Few men of his kind are. There's a lot to be said for the Arends, but imagination has never much been their strong suit. Still, the mysterious allure of the mainland isn't the only thing that's drawn foreigners to it; for Mandorallen, the draw isn't the promise of uncharted lands, but rather the safety of the people. The kedan have spread plenty of warnings about the dangers of the mainland, about its hostile environment, and Mandorallen knows well that there are many foreigners on the island who have little means of defending themselves.

That he finds his familiar steed, clad all in armor and bearing the crest of Vo Mandor, is a pleasant surprise. This place is strange, indeed, but Mandorallen doesn't dwell too long on the mystery of it. He's seen plenty of strange things in his own relatively short lifetime, and he isn't likely to question it. He's just glad to have his horse back.

Of course, the mainland holds potent dangers, even for someone as recklessly courageous and competent with a blade as Mandorallen is, but he's far less concerned for his safety than he is for anyone else's. ]

Comments

FOR YELENA

[inshiningarmor]

[ Mandorallen was more than happy to offer his services as an escort to Yelena when he found out she was curious about the mainland -- he's found solace and something pleasant in her company, and though Mandorallen is trying to be more careful about making snap judgments from Steph's careful but emphatic lessons, she's just so very small. He's polite enough not to voice it to her directly, but he can't help but be concerned about her safety. He's ventured into the hostile mainland already himself; he couldn't in good conscience let Yelena go alone, if he could help it.

He meets her near the place where Tu Vishan meets the mainland, dismounting from his charger with a series of small but audible clanks. He doesn't have his full suit of plate mail here, but his chainmail suit and broadsword will have to do for now. He smiles at her, laying one mailed hand on the horse's neck. ]

Good morrow, my lady. Art thou prepared for our journey?

[tasteforpoison]

[Yelena's already been on the mainland twice since Tu Vishan came alongside it. When mentioning she wanted to go back, Mandorallen had offered to escort, there had been no reason to say no. Having Annabeth at her back had been easy, they'd been in tune with each other, and she assumed that it would be almost as simple to go with Mandorallen.

She arrives at the appointed spot right on time, and there's no hiding her widened eyes when she gets a good look at what's awaiting her. Mandorallen in his armor. With a giant sword. And a horse.]

I am, of course...you didn't tell me you had a horse. Where did you get it?

[They're precious in Ixia, and moreso here in Keeliai.]

[inshiningarmor]

[ Mandorallen looks at her mildly, obviously not getting the fuss over his horse. Sure, he's glad to have his charger back, but...it's a horse. What's the big fuss? Then again, he knows that beasts of burden are also relatively rare here on Tu Vishan. He smiles down at her with an incline of his head that suggests a shrug. ]

Ah, but this is not just any horse, my lady. He is my steed, from mine own world. I found him by chance, wandering in the mainland, looking for water. It doth seem as divine providence, does it not?

[ He pats the horse's armored neck with a faint clink, beaming. Okay so Mandorallen missed his horse. ]

It should make our journey somewhat more comfortable, I hope.

[tasteforpoison]

[Even more incredible. He found his horse on the mainland. Yelena approaches until she's standing beside it, and tentatively reaches out to let the horse catch her scent. Then, she lays a hand at it's cheek--odd, she feels...something...when she does, but Yelena just draws her hand back.]

He's beautiful. We'll have him carry our things?

[Yelena hefts her bag over her shoulder, staff in her other hand. The concept of riding his horse hasn't occurred to her.]

[inshiningarmor]

[ The horse snorts softly, nosing gently against Yelena as she pulls her hand away. Mandorallen looks at her with eyebrows slightly raised, blinking. ]

He can bear much more than such a simple load, my lady. Better that he carry our weight and let us preserve our strength for some more worthy endeavor, methinks.

[tasteforpoison]

[Something seems to stir within her, but Yelena is far more distracted by his mention of them riding.

Her eyes widen ever so slightly more as she looks over at him. She can't quite contain the brief surge of excitement.]

I've never ridden a horse before. He can carry us both?

[inshiningarmor]

[ He actually beams a little bit with pride YES HIS HORSE IS PRETTY GREAT ]

With ease, my lady. He is accustomed to bearing the full weight of mine armor, but in its absence -- well, if thou wouldst forgive my saying so, thou art rather slight, and should cause him no undue discomfort.

[tasteforpoison]

[His good spirits are catching, and Yelena smiles more broadly.]

So long as you don't mind teaching me, I'll try it. How...how would we do it?

[Because it occurs to her that they'll have to ride one in front of the other, likely.]

[inshiningarmor]

[ For a moment, Mandorallen merely blinks. ]

Teach? My lady, there is nothing to teach. Thou canst ride at the rear, and all thou must do is hold fast.

FOR CT

[inshiningarmor]

[ The mainland is harsh -- Mandorallen knows that by now, knows it from when he ventured in just far enough to stumble upon his charger. But he's never been this far out before, the sun beaming down hard on him, and he can feel little rivulets of sweat running down his back beneath his surcoat and mail suit. He's had to stop more often than he'd like to water his horse, but he's plowed insistently on, exploring the land and keeping an eye out for wayward travelers.

When he sees the huddled figure in bulky, dark brown armor, he doesn't recognize it as a person right away. It's not like any kind of armor he's ever seen, but Mandorallen knows it when he sees it. The person isn't moving, though, lying motionless on the sun-scorched ground, and for one long, gut-wrenching moment, Mandorallen fears they may already be dead. He pulls his horse to a stop by their side all the same, casting a concerned look down at the figure. ]

Ho! Dost thou still draw breath?

[tuskenlancer]

[She'd had it all planned out. Rations. Supplies. Everything she'd need. The armor would keep her cool in the hot desert day and warm at night; it would protect her from the elements or from any threats. She'd known it would be a harsh journey, and a long one, and she haddn't known if she would find what she was looking for - but she could do it, and it was worth a shot.

And then she'd taken one step too far from the shore, and everything had gone to hell.

It had happened nearly instantaneously - though now that she's had plenty of time to think things over, she realizes that there'd been signs earlier. Glitches of her armor, blips on the HUD that she'd impatiently dismissed at the time. At the moment, though, it had seemed to come from nowhere - all of a sudden she couldn't move anymore, her displays frizzing out to static and then shutting off immediately, and the armor was so heavy she'd fallen to her knees and then, by shifting her body as she fell, to her side.

She's been stuck there ever since. Hours, days - she doesn't know. With the display not working, she hasn't been able to see anything but darkness, and there's no hope of even lifting her arms to pull her helmet on without anything powering the weight of the armor.

When the voice calls up, her eyes snap open immediately, staring at nothing. It's familiar immediately, the odd wording as much as the tone, and while the knight isn't the first person she would have chosen to find her like this, she supposes he's far from the worst. In any case, she's hardly in a position to be picky.]

Yes - yes.

[God, can he even hear her, with the armor powered down? CT doesn't know - it's too hard to think, and she struggles to move the only part of herself that she can, waggling her fingers and hoping he sees.]

[inshiningarmor]

[ The voice almost sounds familiar, but the tinny cast to it as it comes through the armor obscures it, and Mandorallen can't quite place it. He dismounts, approaching her slowly, cautiously, but he draws near all the same. He's never seen armor like this, but there's no mistaking what it is, even to his primitive eye. Still, the way she isn't moving at all, just frozen in place there, is starting to concern him a little. ]

Art thou injured?

[tuskenlancer]

No.

[He seems to hear her, at least, and CT lets her eyes slip shut in relief. This isn't what she'd planned on happening, and while her normal impulse would be to resist ever admitting weakness or asking for help, she'd also never, ever stopped to consider how frightening it would be to be trapped in her own armor, for all intents and purposes completely paralyzed and blind.

She can't let him walk away and leave her, maybe to die. She can't, and her voice rises higher, on the edge of panic. He'll stop and help her. He has to.]

I'm - I can't move.

[inshiningarmor]

[ Good thing Mandorallen is totally honor bound to help damsels in distress. Of course, CT would rather die than admit to being a damsel in distress. He comes a little closer, still trying to discern the problem at a glance. ]

Forgive my confusion, but wherefore art thou so frozen in place? Is this the work of some sorcery?

[tuskenlancer]

[Of course. CT doesn't have the first idea how to start explaining this. It occurs to her that it might be easier just to say yes, there's a curse and it's from an evil wizard and - but she just sighs.]

No. It's - my armor just - shut down and stopped working.

[yeahh he's not gonna get that.]

I just - I can't move it. I need to get it off.




...Please.

[inshiningarmor]

[ Well, he can't ignore such an earnest plea for help, even if she wasn't exactly sweet and kind when they'd last spoken. Still, Mandorallen pretty much always takes the moral highroad, and he's got no problem helping her out. He crosses the rest of the distance between them, crouching slightly to get a better look. There doesn't appear to be anything externally wrong with the armor, and he's never dealt with armor like this before, but...well, it's armor. It shouldn't take him too long to figure out how to detach the plates. ]

Fear not, my lady. I have pried apart the armor of many young knights who thought to take a foolish challenge by wading into the lake, only for their armor to rust itself quite firmly shut.

[tuskenlancer]

[Of course he has. CT tries to nod, realizes she can't, and grits her teeth in frustration.]

Okay.

[Even though she can't see, she can somehow sense him moving closer, crouching down to peer at her and examining the armor.

It hits her, just then, just what all this means. If he hasn't recognized her already from her voice, he certainly will as soon as he manages to get her helmet off. She panics briefly - she can't let him know she can't let anyone know - and just as quickly realizes that she really, really doesn't have a choice here. It's reveal her identity or be left out here to die, and she has a feeling that Mandorallen wouldn't let her choose the second option even if she'd wanted to.]

Wait!

[She says it quickly, before he can touch her, pausing as she tries to figure out what she wants to say, how to put in in terms he'll understand.]

I - listen, I - you can't let anyone else know who I am. Okay? It's - I'm in hiding. There's - bad people - there's villains out there who would...hurt me, if they knew.

Okay?

[It's not quite the truth. She's the villain, if there is one, even if she'd only done what she had to do, and it makes her uneasy to describe York and Carolina that way, but - she can't let them find her. She can't.]

Returning to the city?

[trainwrecked]

[There is a man in an armor.

There is a man in an armor on a freaking horse.

What.]

Whoa. Where did you find all that?

[Refined and civilized in some cultural ways? Bucky is not.]

[inshiningarmor]

[ Mandorallen pulls his horse to a halt, glancing down at the young man nearby -- on foot, as is basically everyone else who's ventured into the mainland. He merely raises his eyebrows, giving Bucky a mild look. ]

It was on my person upon mine arrival, of course. Save for the steed -- I found him by chance while meandering this featureless plain. It was an incident most fortuitous and odd, methinks.

[trainwrecked]

You actually move about like that? Must've been kinda difficult, out there.

Go on, if you found him in the desert, poor thing must be parched, if nothing else. You, too, since you probably shared - since he's still standing.

[Damned Brits and their occasional mounted division that he's encountered while in London. Horses.]

Actually. Did you find anything else interesting? I'm sure people'll be putting together all the intelligence gathered, sooner or later, might as well save you a repetition or two.

[And, yes, Bucky speeds up - not nearly up to a fast equine walk - because only human - but making sure that the conversation wouldn't be slowing man and animal too badly.]

[inshiningarmor]

Not as of yet, though my steed was indeed a fortuitous find. Thou needn't worry about neither him nor me, however; I have brought quite enough water for the both of us. And as for the armor, I am quite accustomed to it.

[ Seriously, he's not even wearing his full platemail. He kind of misses it, honestly. Chainmail only offers so much protection. ]

[trainwrecked]

Right.

[Because Bucky has some idea about the logistics. And he knows what kind of quantities a man needs in heat such as this, let alone a horse.]

If I ask 'how were you even walking?' I'll just get more reassurances that you're fine, won't I.

[inshiningarmor]

Thou hast no need for worry, friend. I am quite capable, and far from a stranger to the burden of mine armor.

[ Honestly, Mandorallen feels a bit bad for everyone else, having to go through the mainland on foot. Finding his horse was a big stroke of luck. ]

And thou? Art thou not weary from thy travels?

[trainwrecked]

[Bucky shrugs.]

I was infantry. There wasn't always transport. Marching for days on end ain't exactly new, and I've been getting plenty enough rest since coming here.

[inshiningarmor]

[ Mandorallen gives him an understanding smile, nodding. ]

Well, if thou wouldst prefer, my steed can bear the weight of two. The city is not far off, and it would be crude not to extend the offer to thee, who hath traveled so far on foot.