Outside, morning

[ostro_goth]

Teja has spent the night brooding and playing his harp by the fire; now, in the morning, he goes to the bar and asks for parchment and ink. The things that appear aren't like anything he's seen before; it is a thin white parchment, and a stylus that spews ink all by itself. He writes in what he thinks is Latin,

To Richard Ryan, master of the forge

Comments

[panser_bjorn]

It's not far from the lake that their paths cross, Iorek going down to the lake's edge to swim and drink early in the morning. He has been out for some hours now, ever since the moon went down. It's not that he feels specially wary of the werewolves, but he considers it good manners not to intrude upon the chosen territory of other predators who have older claims to it.

What Teja sees is, basically, a white (!) bear far larger than any natural beast has a right to be, his bulk augmented by the heavy armor he wears, covering him from snout to the end of his legs, leaving only his paws, lower jaw and a section of his belly uncovered. Black eyes peer from within deep eyeslit cut in the wedge-shaped helmet, and the huge bear stops and then, quite surprisingly, speaks in a deep voice, lacking any inflection or emotion.

"Good day." The tone is polite enough, but the Panserbjorn exudes an aura of barely contained violence which is easy to mistake for anger.

[ostro_goth]

Teja takes his axe in both hands; the enormous beat makes him wary.

There are, however, the voice and the armour that the creature wears - it must be a tame bear that is carrying an unseen rider.

"Greetings," Teja says, cautiously. "Who is speaking?"

So far, he thought that the white bears that live in the very north of the world where there is always snow and the Ice Giants rule, which old Master Hildebrand told them about at Regium, at King Theoderic's school for noble youths, was just an old wives' tale, just as the wolfmen, the witches, the night-wandering blood-drinkers, and other scary creatures their ancestors believed in, in their old home in the northern seas.

But if wolfmen exist, why not white bears?

[panser_bjorn]

Teja's question gives Iorek pause, and in fact elicits a certain look of surprise from him. The Panserbjorn slowly raises himself onto his back legs, looking down at the man with a growing bit of amusement.

"I am Iorek Byrnison of the Panserbjorne. And who might you be?"

[ostro_goth]

"Panserbjorne?" Teja says, incredulous. He understands the word, very vaguely -- it sounds as if it might mean 'armoured bears' in a language not quite unlike his native Gothic.

"Armoured bears? Now, I have often heard of bearing armour, but armouring bears? But then, that sounds exactly as you look. Are you from the lands in the very north of the world, where there is always snow and the Ice Giants rule?"

He feels naive and childish, asking that question. These lands are just a myth!

"I am Teja son of Tagila, last King of the Ostrogoths until my death, and Count of Tarentum for the years before that."

[blue_raz]

A strange looking man walked through a heavy wooden door. Beyond the door a lavish study could be seen. It had thick carpets thrown on the wooden floor, and where cases of books were not, tapestries hung on bar stone walls. Tables and chairs were strewn about the room, as were pitchers of red liquid.

The man had a book tucked under one arm, and in the background of his world screaming could be heard. One of his fledglings had gone insane again.

He closed the door and the noise stopped.

The man with the cloven feet, three clawed hands, and alabaster skin finds his way outside. He didn't care about the werewolves. He could take care of himself. He just needed some peace and quiet.

Raziel stopped when he saw the human with the axe.

[ostro_goth]

The man looks exceedingly strange, Teja thinks. He grips his axe tighter.

[blue_raz]

"Put that down, human," said Raziel, "I have had more than enough stupidity for one night!"

He was serious.

"I do not intend to harm you," he explained, "Unless you intend to harm me."

[ostro_goth]

"I suppose you are one of the wolfmen?" Teja asks, still holding his axe, but making no move to attack.