by ChristianC » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:09 pm
Rumors had spread in the port-city of Kohlingen like rumors always do that a ship, a caravel manned by no more than a dozen or so kilian-like sailors had set anchor in the harbor with the men aboard quickly spreading out through the city to enjoy the women, drink and gamble with plenty of gold in their pockets.
Now, these occurences were hardly unusual, certainly not enough to warrant much attention, but after a few days, during which these nekojin-like sailors fought, drank and slept like men possessed, they all as one abandoned their revelry and set out as a small caravan setting a straight course from Kohlingen to Doma, the capital of the nation and joined by a small but expensive mercenary group known to not ask any questions when enough money was presented to hire their services.
Rumors quickly settled down once they'd left, but after that day, a small but valuable amount of golden coins imprinted with strange imagery and characters unseen by most scholars began to circulate in the city, then in the nation, until you'd likely find a few of the foreign pieces in more or less any city worth its salt on the Igalan continent.
Ripples, perhaps, of the events that were to come, and although insignificant on a grander historical scale, the day that the Sept île first arrived on Igala would provide a historical piece of curiosa for years to come.
So, after lodgings had been established and the sailors once more given leave to enjoy themselves (with the mercenaries left behind to guard whatever wares that were kept in the barrels and bins brought along), the leader of the cat-like Sailors came strolling down the streets, a vacant smile on his lips and large, curious eyes darting around to take in the sights of the city around him.
In many ways, the man resembled a kilian. He had the ears and tails of a cat, in the spotted pattern of an ocelot, but fur grew up his legs, visible between his black, heavy boots (toes cut off as his claws poked out) and the capri-like shorts he wore. Around his waist was a crimson sash, tied tightly (and showing that he was of a rather slim, gangly built), with a puffy shirt billowing out above it, long and wide sleeves buttoned at his wrists with the material almost threatening to flow down over his clawed hands.
The face of the cat-like person looked young, almost female with rounded features and large, lime green eyes. The fur grew up his neck but ended just underneath his chin, and aside from his cat-like eyes and prominent fangs, the man looked positively human as far as facial features go. His brightly red hair was kept at neck-length, and a deep-violet, almost black bandana kept it out of his eyes.
Tied over the sash was a leather-belt with a cutlass and a dagger sheathed, and a decent amount of pouches and small bags hung off the belt. A golden ring glimmered in one of the cat-like ears and a navy-blue, heavy coat hung over one of his shoulders, held only barely by two fingers of his right hand.
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Now, it happened so, that the stranger in these parts came upon the three, or two (with one rapidly leaving inujin), and with a look of delight on his face hurried over to Daenj'r and took the man's hand. "Si vous êtes le roi? ? Vous Charles?" he spoke rapidly, gesturing with his free hand. "Je suis des sept îles, mon nom est Alistair. Avez-vous reçu ma lettre?"
The man looked expectantly at Daenj'r, his ears twitching slightly.