Prologue: Lexwyn

[dmronny]

1099 AD; Pont-y-pŵl, Kingdom of Powys.

Lexwyn stalked through the freshly fallen snow ever on the lookout for danger. She was starving and there had been nothing in her triggered dead-falls, she had to find something to eat beside the few berries she had gathered or she wouldn't make it much longer.

The moon shone through the leafless trees as a freezing wind blew off the distant mountaintops chilling her to the bone. Her longbow hung from her fingers ready to shoot at a moments notice as she looked for tracks of some kind.

The howl of a wolf in the distance floated over the wind to fill Lexwyn with a sense of dread. A dread that quickly passed as she realized that she wouldn't make much of a meal for such creatures. She doubted if a werewolf would care much about one starving mortal in it's woods. She pushed on desperate to find some food.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

This dreaded winter cold penetrated everything. Clothes, flesh, minds, all bowed to it's neverending torment. The howl only took Lexwyn's mind away from survival for a second, and only then in an odd way. If she could find a wolf that was somehow as down on its luck as her, it would make a tasty meal!

...

No... that was crazy talk... she had been out here far too long. Lexwyn trudged onwards. She needed food badly... but shelter was always nagging at the back of her mind. Something that could just get her out of the cold, if only for five minutes. She suppressed a sigh. At this rate she'd be squabbling at the door of some peasants by the end of the week, and that would end badly... she had to be strong.... she had to press on.... Surely something was waiting for her, over the next hill or ridge, to make up for this depressing run of bad luck...

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

She trudged further up the hill in her search for shelter or food with nothing but the distant wolves as company. She almost thought for a brief moment that it might be better to die of starvation than to beg some commoner for aid. Not that she had seen any peasants for a few months.

Reaching the top of the hill she looked towards the horizon to see more darkness and...she squinted against the harsh wind. An abandoned cabin in the distance. Though she would have to find a way down the ridge in the dark, still it was better than dieing of starvation.

She started slowly down the hill trying carefully to find a proper footing on the snowy ridge. She had almost reached the bottom when she slipped and began a perilous tumble down the snowy hill towards the cabin.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

"Well shit!" Amazingly enough, Lexwyn didn't even have the energy left by this point to get overly upset, even as she was tumbling down the hill. Out of instinct though she almost stuck her arms out to try and slow herself down... but that would have probably meant disaster for the longbow. Weakly she did all she could to pull he arms in protectively, even if that meant she was going to tumble a bit more. She could trade a few lumps and bruises for keeping her weapon intact.

Lexwyn groaned when she finally came to a stop, not moving for a moment or two. Maybe the time to take risks was now. To hell with trying to be sneaky, she NEEDED that cabin. It was like her last motivating factor. She had to get up and get to the cabin, or this was probably the final curtain call...

She wasn't so desperate as to be reckless though, as she still planned on circling the cabin first to look for anything suspicious. She had enough discipline to know that an extra 30 seconds wasn't going to kill her, but all these thoughts were automatic from the time she spent training with the boys. Lexwyn wanted in, but not so badly that she would gleefully walk into some poacher's sword.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn finally slid to a stop less than a hundred yards from the cabin. Shaking her head as she stood up she noticed a slight pain shoot through her leg. A twisted ankle wasn't much of a concern in her current condition however and she started walking towards the cabin.

The cabin seemed to be abandoned as she circled it though caution was still a good idea. A silent trip around the cabin revealed no footprints or signs of anyone having been there recently. Still the building wasn't completely falling down so she would have to watch for anyone returning.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn ground her teeth together a bit as she hobbled over to a window. The signs didn't point to a need to be stealthy, so she felt a little pressure leave, but she still wanted to check inside first if possible. The one thing she really should be doing is covering her tracks, but after falling down the hill, and making such an obvious trail while limping, it would be a futile effort.

Lexwyn didn't need much confirmation, just a little extra assurance that no one was inside the cabin. Armed with that knowledge, she would try the door, her nerves and instincts urging her to try and be quiet despite feeling so alone in the cold. If it didn't work, she could try to enter through the window, but no doubt it wouldn't be easy on her twisted ankle...

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

The door stuck a little as she tried the handle but eventually creaked open to reveal the yawning darkness beyond. Despite the light of the full moon Lexwyn couldn't see much beyond the doorway. Still if there were anyone in the dwelling they would have heard the door open.

Still the bit of the room she could see was relatively clean which meant that somebody must come by on occasion. It didn't look like some filthy peasants hovel though.

A sudden cold gust of wind made her even more willing to step into the darkness and perhaps get a fire going. Why should she worry about anyone coming by anyways, it was rightfully her father's land after all.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn glanced around rapidly, looking more for things she could use than threats by this point. Her whole mindset had been thrown off by the biting cold, making her much more frantic than she would normally be, even if her body moved sluggishly. Her first act was to shut the door to keep the cold out, though she made sure to crack a window just enough to let in some moonlight. She could endure a few more minutes of lesser cold if it meant she wasn't going to trip over anything.

Next Lexwyn investigated the fireplace, but before she'd even looked for the stoker another idea entered her mind. Maybe there was some food left here! In her excitement she whirled around a bit hard on her bad leg, wincing, but then staggered towards where the cabinets were. Halfway there she realized that she might need the fire to cook whatever she found anyway, but damn it, she was hungry now! Part of her hated how she had become, fretting from one thing to the next. It was very unladylike, and not becoming of someone of her status. Her actions were one thing, but Lexwyn felt her mind slipping a bit. A small growl escaped her lips as she started to search for food, shaking her head side to side to try and get a hold of herself.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

The fireplace looks as though it has been unused for quite a long time, strange as the single room in the thatched hut seems clean of dust and mold. A simple straw bed sits in one corner as far from the fire as possible. Pulling back the animal skin covering the single small window she notices a cupboard and decides to investigate.

She finds her body warming slightly with the freezing wind now blocked by the door. The cabinets are empty of anything of use but laying on the ground below said cabinets she notices the recent remains of an animal. A wolf from the looks of the creature and it seems to still be fresh enough to provide a decent meal.

How strange she thinks to herself as she thinks about her findings in the hut. Who would live in such a barbaric fashion out in the middle of nowhere; a religious hermit, a criminal on the run from justice, or maybe a witch. She would have to be on the lookout while she used what was rightfully hers as the inheritor of these lands.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn cringed, but wasted no time in trying to pick out the best bits of the wolf for herself. A knife would come in handy, and she made a second pass quickly to see if there might be one, though she wasn't exactly optimistic about it. At least she could cook it over the fire. Lexwyn was no stranger to gore, especially recently, but uncooked food could be dangerous. The fact that it would probably taste better was just an added bonus at this stage. She would gladly take what comfort she could in such a simple pleasure.

After getting everything set as best she could, with "best" being a far cry from good, Lexwyn would sit on the bed and watch the fire. Her belly rumbled, and mouth watered, but she also knew good things came to those who wait...

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn finds herself puzzled by the state of the deceased wolf as she cuts a few pieces of meat to cook for food. For some reason there seems to be a distinct lack of blood in the creature.

She eventually gets a fire started after briefly venturing out to retrieve some firewood. Thankfully there is plenty of dead wood to be found in the forest near the hut. She moves back to the straw bedding to relax while the mouthwatering smell of the meat cooks.

Once she has fed she makes the room as secure as possible for she can hardly keep her eyes open. The past few weeks of living off the land having taken their toll. She drifts off to sleep near the fire as the bed of straw is too far away to provide proper warmth. She doesn't wake again till much later the next day after a fitful rest.

The room looks much the same as she had expected it would in the daylight and she begins to get up to make preparations for another night. Her ankle felt much better than it had the previous night though she still felt tired. She hadn't slept well since she had escaped into the wilderness, her sleep always seemed marred by a growing anger and resentment.

Spoiler

You probably already have a knife. Pretty much everyone carried at least a small knife for eating in this time period. There that should be better.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

So much about this situation was odd, but Lexwyn had passed the point of caring. Hell, she had even forgotten about her own hunting knife she'd been carrying, so tired, cold, and hungry was she. The disorganized mess that were her thoughts just continued to piss Lexwyn off more.

Staying in the cabin was probably a bad idea, but as with the rest, Lexwyn didn't care. True rest in a decent, or at least acceptable bed would do wonders for her, that was for sure. At the back of her mind she figured that if someone did happen to find her, she could think up some way to avoid the worst trouble. Lying was one option, as was telling the truth. Any discoverer didn't even need to be sympathetic to her plight. If they wanted to turn her in for a reward, there would likely be ample chance to escape. As her head hit the pillow a small smile curled on her lips, the first in days, if not weeks or months. It felt amazing to have the courage, audacity, or whatever to just tell the world to go screw itself sometimes.

It felt like only an instant before Lexwyn opened her eyes again. She had nary moved at all through the night, so deep was her slumber. With a yawn she looked around, taking her time as she got moving. It felt nice to not be in a frantic rush for once, and though it would be a fleeting luxury, Lexwyn wanted to savor it as much as she could. She really should be hurrying, but five or ten minutes of taking it slow would not hurt. She allowed herself for a moment to bask in her mood, sighing heavily, before trying to get some of the strange dead wolf prepared for a new meal, and perhaps find a way to keep some when she set out again. She thought again about how it was drained, but could only focus on how convenient that made for keeping it fresh...

Spoiler

Is it ironic that I just NOW realized why it was drained, even when I really should have know x.x

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Thankfully her time spent amongst the boys and their main past time of hunting had taught her a few tricks for preparing meat so it would last. It wouldn't taste as good as the freshly prepared stuff but beggars couldn't be choosy. She still had some time to wait while she prepared her supplies for further travel so she thought about where she should go.

The Normans where likely still around her and in control of her father's lands, he didn't have nearly enough retainers to hold out for long against a concentrated assault. Perhaps she should head north for Gwynned, the northern kingdom of her people. They were more secure in the mountains and wilderness than Powys.

Little had she realized that her time spent preparing had taken her to another night in the wilderness. The moon had already begun to rise by the time her preparations were finished...What was that. She could swear she had heard the sound of booted feet crunching underbrush from outside the window!

Spoiler

I don't think ironic is really the correct word but for lack of a better one, yes.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn had let her reflexes, already slow from weeks in the cold, dull even more in her time here, enough so that when she hit the deck he body instantly ached. Not like slamming to the floor felt that great to begin with, especially injured. Lexwyn skittered up under the window, hopefully where whoever was outside couldn't get an angle to look at her. It might be too late though. The move probably made a lot of noise, especially as Lexwyn had just dropped everything she was holding and let it clatter down with her.

If allowed the the time, Lexwyn would try and crawl over and gather what she could. There wasn't that much of use, but even a few pieces of preserved meat would be an improvement over last time she was in the woods. With that, she'd then crawl towards the door. The damn thing squeaked, but she needed to make an exit route, and fast! The chance to run was important, even if she gave herself away at the last second. All the while she kept at least one eye focused on the window, waiting for someone to peer in as she had yesterday...

Spoiler

Do you happen to play the Crusader Kings series from Paradox Interactive btw? While a historian, I don't focus on this area, but fortunately thanks to their latest release actually know what all these things are referring to as of a month ago. Guess I'm lucky.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Whatever is outside of the cabin goes silent as Lexwyn dives to the floor. Scrambling to try and assemble what supplies: the few strips of prepared meat, her knife, and finally her bow. Another sound of crunching brush comes to her from near the door to the cabin. Though it stops almost as soon as she hears it, only to be replaced with a fearful silence which seems to last for several minutes.

Spoiler

Nope, never played it. Most of it's from memory since I enjoy history and geography, though I often have to do a little research to jog the memory. I also have a tendency to change things to fit the game on occasion.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn froze, holding her breath while waiting for something to enter. When that never happened she slowly tried to exhale without making a sound, carefully going for her knife. Being practically nose-to-wood at the door, there was a chance she could get a jump on the situation, but though capable, resorting to violence was not in any way a good idea when she didn't know who it was. The knife made her feel a bit secure, but truth be told, if Lexwyn had to use it, she was probably already screwed.

She glanced back at the window, a bit paranoid about leaving her back exposed, but also her mind racing for an alternative exit. If she was really careful, and psyched herself up.... then maybe....

Fearful of wasting more time, Lexwyn bolted upright, threw some of the supplies at the far wall in hopes of making noise to distract the new arrival, then dashed for the window. She would have to pause for a second to leap through and keep the rest of her food and weapons together, but hopefully the element of surprise would offset that. Taking off at a dead sprint through the woods in the dark was not the brightest idea either, Lexwyn would be the first to admit, but being cornered could be fatal....

Spoiler

I'm assuming these are no glass windows. If there's glass, well screw it, jump through anyway.

But yes, in true American fashion, I've quickly taught myself the geography of Wales by invading it in that game. Ironically, it's played out very similar to the background we've set up here... Was totally unintentional when I started x.x

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

The noise from her distraction seems to elicit a noise from outside of the cabin, though Lexwyn barely notices. She has already made up her mind that discretion is the better part of valor and has taken off at a dead sprint for the small window. Timing her leap at just the right moment she manages to leap right through the small opening, tearing the animal skin that covered it off in the process.

Her landing isn't quite as elegant as she aggravates her already twisted ankle more. Ignoring the pain she takes off for the woods in front of her as fast as she can, hoping to escape danger. Her longbow in one hand and the dagger in the other give her a small amount of reassurance as she stumbles through the woods.

Spoiler

Yeah I don't think anyone used glass windows in the dark ages, except for stained glass in cathedrals that is. So your safe in that regard.

It's one way to learn the geography. Kind of glad it matches up somewhat since I try not to mess up geography-wise. History I'm alright with changing if it helps the story though. Obviously since you know vampires aren't real and all.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn didn't look back. Cliche maybe, but it really did make a big difference. Besides, in the dark, all attention had to be focused on not running into a tree, or getting tangled in various undergrowth. Her foot didn't make things easy, but there would be time to deal with that later. It wasn't like there was a shortage of ice, after all... She did her best to avoid limping while speed was still of the essence. Hopefully soon there would be a ridge, or a small depression, or something she could slip in to and hopefully avoid the notice of whatever, or whoever had been on the other side of the door, assuming this turned into a pursuit...

Spoiler

Yeah, it was pretty accurate. My only quibble really would be what exactly constitutes a "kingdom", but that's just nitpicking.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn runs through the forest with little worry about which direction she takes. Her ankle and lungs burn from the exertion as she finds herself forced to slow down. Her breath comes in short gasps as she takes cover near a large old oak tree to watch behind her.

Peering through the darkness she can see nothing of any possible pursuers, perhaps she lost them. She has little time to ponder this fact however as she suddenly hears the nearby howl of wolves. Even a single wolf is an incredibly dangerous creature and multiple wolves meant she had to find a way to escape.

Spoiler

Now that you mention it, I think Powys was more of a principality. Either way it's definitely one of the Baronies of Avalon which is most important.

 

[OAMP]

Re: Prologue: Lexwyn

Lexwyn found herself stopping far sooner than she thought, but actually wasn't too surprised. She was out of shape. Not from lack of exercise, far from it in fact, but due to not getting enough to eat, enough sleep, and generally from being out in the middle of the damn woods at the height of winter! Her endurance, especially lung capacity, was way down from what it used to be. The cold air just made it burn even more as she panted for breath propped up against the tree.

Her body was just starting to relax when she heard the howls. Instantly more twinges from her fight or flight reflex shot through her system. With a hiss concealing her weariness Lexwyn straightened back up, raising her knife almost weakly in the direction the sound had come from. Her legs tensed, ready to run at a moments notice, but she needed to catch her breath a little bit more or she wouldn't make it very far...

Spoiler

Eh, from what I gathered, "historically" Powys was a county in the Duchy of Gwynned, though I think there was a Barony by the same name too. It was definitely one of the areas the Normans were involved in though, and was taken away from Gwynned. I don't know any of the details about how it happened though, just that in 1066 (the year I'm most familiar with, for some obvious reasons) there were tons of independent Welsh things, and in 1100 there weren't...