Archives: Hunt for Kiran
Chapter 3: Thiana’s Search
Thiana had arrived in Salbad two days ago, though for the last two days her time had been taken up by performances and resting. She finally had a chance to begin another task today, her search for the father of her son. She had just woken up and was wearing rather plain clothes, maybe today would bring some luck or maybe it would not. She ate her breakfast in silence, a few men from the night before coming over and wanting to sit with her. The attention was flattering though she did not desire it, she was preoccupied with her real goal for coming to the city.
“How many nights have been paid for now? I don’t know how long I’ll be in the city for.”
Looking over to her, the innkeeper replied with a light grin, the lilt of her voice cheered him up a little despite the mood he was in. “You’re good for a full week. If you need more just help me bring in more business. Anyways, I owe you this, it’s what remains of your pay after all expenses.” He walked over and placed a couple of gold on the table, then returned to work as she finished her meal.
Heading out into the streets she started her search, asking both private citizens and businesses if they knew anything about Kiran. All they learned was that he was an old friend who she had business with, but little more than that.
* * *
Derim spent his afternoon in a shady tavern called the Hook-Nosed Goblin Pub. It used to be frequented by goblins, but most of them had been driven out and slaughtered by the Flaim army when they took the city. The pub had been taken over by an old Marmo soldier who refused to leave the city. Not many native Marmo humans were left, besides the barbarians, and some of the dark elves and half-elves had left with King Ashram. The dark elves that remained in the city either put up with the new Flaim settlers, or they disappeared into the forest to rejoin their clan. Kiran, Jaron, Bandor, and Derim himself had remained in the building their small gang claimed though the entire ordeal, but Kiran was the first to leave.
Many dark elves changed after the “cleansing”. Kiran was one of them. Slowly, they observed as he became burdened with guilt. Bandor was sickened by it, and challenged the elder Kiran, but was defeated. Despite that, Kiran left for Lodoss, desperate to escape the island. Bandor took over, but Derim and Jaron felt no need to remain in the gang. They left Bandor alone in the house and found a new place inside the city. Bandor was one elf who didn’t change. He was just as vicious as ever. The last they heard, he had tried slaughtering a family of humans, but unused to the new laws, he was caught in the middle of his crime and killed by the city guard and several knights.
As a whole, dark elves were hesitantly accepted by the new settlers. The majority of the dark elves agreed to live in peace with the humans—a “don’t bother me, I won’t bother you”, sort of arrangement. At least for the elves of the forest. Those who had remained in the city co-existed with the humans, but still had their niche in the city. This pub was one such place. Flaim settlers didn’t venture into this bar, but it was filled with dark elves, half-elves, and the handful of Marmo citizens who didn’t leave on the exodus.
As Derim sipped on his elven wine, waiting for Jaron to join him, another dark elf entered. The man paused in the doorway and looked over the patrons. His red eyes paused on Derim, but they traveled to the bar. The man debated between Derim and the bar for a moment, then settled on the dark elf.
{“You used to run with Kiran, did you not?”} the stranger spoke in elvish, not out of a need for privacy, but merely because many dark elves preferred to speak their native tongue amongst themselves.
{“I did,”} Derim stressed the past tense, in case this man had a grudge against Kiran. {“Why do you ask?”}
The dark elf didn’t seem hostile as he responded, {“I met a woman on the streets asking about him. She was vague in her reasons, but I simply told her he left for Lodoss a couple years ago. I told her to ask around a little more, though.”}
{“Was she human or dark elf?”} Derim asked. Apparently there was nothing to worry about from this man, but the woman could be dangerous. Kiran hurt a lot of people, of his own kind and humans.
{“Dark elf, she didn’t give her name though,”} the dark elf replied.
Derim debated what to do. If she was after blood, then he could be in trouble for being associated with Kiran. If she was a lover of his, he could be of some help. He didn’t know where Kiran went, but Jaron had been the one who helped him find a ship, and he would know better. {“Well, what does she look like? Maybe I can track her down,”} Derim settled on his choice.
{“A little tall, very dark skin, gold eyes, and long, silvery-blonde hair. Plain, sort of modest clothes. I saw her in the market district,”} the dark elf described her.
Derim nodded, then finished off his goblet of wine. {“I’ll go find her then. Hopefully she’s not after Kiran’s head on a pike.”} Derim stood and strode out of the bar.
Stepping out into the sunlight, Derim shielded his green eyes from the brightness, and looked around the street. This part of town didn’t have many people, but if she was looking for dark elves, this was the best side to search.
Derim made his way to the market in the center of Salbad through the main streets. Humans avoided him, but unlike other places in Lodoss, they tolerated him.
* * *
Thiana had been searching for a while with only one or two leads, she was not going to give up though. Things had been pretty rough on her too though, most humans refused to answer her questions but those who did seemed to not know anything. Seeing somebody who was not in the area before she approached the man, perhaps he might know something about where he was. She asked him in dark elven, she did not want others knowing her name even though some knew her but could not help her as they had seen her perform.
{“Excuse me, do you know anything about where a dark elf named Kiran is? I want to find him and see him again. I want to talk to him about something important. My name is Thiana and if you could help me, I’d repay your services with a song or two, that is only if you can truly help me find him.”} She gave a bit of a smile and watched Derim. Though she did not know why he was here or his name, she thought he might be able to help. She also sought something else here, though that would wait until later, as knowledge about Kraken was easier to find than a dark elf who traveled a lot.
Derim smirked as his quarry found him. She was the same woman the dark elf in the tavern had described. {“I knew him,”} Derim replied. {“What is your business with him?”}
Thiana was surprised, she may have found a lead. He seemed to be somewhat guarded by his questions, she had to approach this carefully. {“I wish to see him again and speak with him, there is something he needs to know. Can you help me with any information please? I’ll pay you for it with some coin or some music.”} she replied back. Hopefully Derim was willing to help her. Even if she was angry with Kiran, still she did not seek him harm, all she wanted was for him to try and see his own son even once.
Derim was slightly annoyed that she refused to tell him what she wanted Kiran for. {“Kiran and I were old friends,”} Derim replied. {“Whatever you have to tell him, you can tell me. I don’t want to send an assassin after him.”}
Thiana looked him up and down again, he was able to be trusted so she would tell him. Though with so many ears about, using dark elven was the best choice. Whistling for a second and calling out a name she looked around, a dog came through the crowd and to her side.
{“Four years ago, I spent three days with Kiran in the forest. Because of that we had a son. I named Kailos. I wanted to see Kiran again and tell him, as well as see if he would be willing to see his son even once. This is Theros, my traveling companion and protector. Will you please help me find him? I am still a little angry at him, though I can forgive him. After all he is an exile, and I know what that means.”} She told him about her business with Kiran, she knew that he may not help her. Though she had to try, her other goals were secondary right now.
Derim raised his eyebrow when Thiana said she had Kiran’s son. He wasn’t exactly surprised. He knew Kiran had been exiled after impregnating the daughter of his clan’s elder. It wasn’t the whole reason behind his exile, but it had been the final straw. He didn’t think that she was that woman, but he couldn’t remember her name. Thiana’s story didn’t fit Kiran’s story of exile either.
{“How long ago was this?”} Derim asked, trying to make sense of Kiran’s story and Thiana’s.
{“Four years ago, it was something I promised him I would never mention to others. He was not supposed to be there, but I do not regret anything to this day. Does that answer your question? I understand if you are a little surprised.”} She scratched Theros behind the ears, he was not bothered by Derim at all. Though when Kiran was mentioned around him his ears perked up, even he thought the man was worth protecting at the time. Thiana knew this was a gamble, maybe he would not even talk to her if she found him.
She definitely wasn’t the woman who had Kiran banished, just another fling. {“It doesn’t surprise me. Kiran slept with a lot of women, it’s no surprise that he has kids out there,”} Derim replied. {“By the way, I’m Derim. I don’t know exactly where Kiran left to, but my friend Jaron was with him and might know where the ship he took was bound for.”}
Thiana finally had a lead on Kiran, of course that meant leaving Marmo. She could use the time at sea to work on her other goal, making her contract with Kraken. {“It is good meeting you Derim, you have been very helpful. Where may I find Jaron? I would like to find out what he knows.”}
She looked to the dog beside her, watching the area as if scanning it for threats. So far, he was still wary of Derim, but from his actions the male dark elf was not a problem.
Derim glanced at the large dog, then back at Thiana. The canine was intimidating, but he had nothing to worry about. {“I don’t know where he is right now, he was supposed to meet me in a tavern. You are welcome to come back and wait for him with me,”} Derim replied.
{“Thank you, I hope your friend can help me. I will follow you to the tavern, after that I may head in the same direction.”} This was all she needed, even this lead would be more than enough, but if he did go to Lodoss then she knew what she would face there. It would be harder to find him, there would be those who would not tell a dark elf anything.
{“Alright, let’s go,”} Derim said, then waved for Thiana to follow.
He led her through the streets until they returned to the Hook-Nosed Goblin Pub. As Derim entered, he looked over the patrons of the inn, but Jaron wasn’t among them. The dark elf who told him about Thiana was though, and he raised a goblet of wine to the pair.
{“Theros can come in, the inn is full of mostly elves, so animals are welcome,”} Derim said, then brought Thiana back to the table he’d been sitting at earlier.
Thiana followed Derim to the pub, entering Theros walked beside her as he sniffed the air. So many scents, so many different people and drinks. Once they reached the table she sat down before he did, motioning for Theros to lie down beside the chair. Seeing the dark elf raise his mug to them she gave him a curt nod, he had been more helpful than he first seemed. {“One of the few times I am in a pub and not working, normally I would be performing for the patrons.”}
She ordered herself a spiced wine as a barmaid passed by, she was going to enjoy herself while she waited.
{“Performing?”} Derim asked, not really sure what she meant by that.
She looked over at Derim, he did know little about her and she was dressed rather commonly. Laughing lightly Thiana gave her reply, she had performed regularly in Salbad over the years. {“I am a songstress and dancer, I have seen almost all of Marmo and parts of Lodoss I perform to make a living on the road, though even that is rather exhausting at times.”} She was relaxed at the moment, if had her flute with her she would play a small piece. At the moment however, it was back with her stuff at the inn.
Derim nodded. {“Oh I see,”} he replied. However, something bothered him. {“Where is your child now? He must be far too young to be on his own.”}
Thiana worried about her son constantly in her travel, this was the first time she had left him alone like that. {“He is with his grandparents, they helped me raise him. Kailos is his name, though I wonder if he will take after his father.”} She chuckled at the notion, like she wanted him to turn out more like her but a little like him. Kiran had been one of her more interesting lovers, unfortunately she had a few before him. She could not forget her teacher, he had been her first and it caused tension.
Derim smiled, though his mind was thinking of how bad it would be if Kailos turned out like Kiran. Marmo didn’t need another dark elf whose libido was enough to get him banished from his clan. Kiran had changed after Marmo’s cleansing though, Derim strongly suspected that his personality was due to Kardis.
{“I doubt it,”} Derim replied. {“Kiran started changing after Kardis was sealed.”} Did Thiana even know how cruel Kiran had been? How he toyed with womens affections?
Thiana looked at Derim as he spoke, she had known Kiran to be charming. Though he spoke as if he knew more about the man, all she knew is that he was an exile. {“Maybe just as charming, that is all I am hoping for. I never asked about his past, though I was curious even then. All I knew then was what he would tell me, though I knew why each day we moved around.”} Her interest was piqued now, but she would rather to ask Kiran himself. Each new bit of information she learned was more tempting, she would not give in and ask yet.
Derim shook his head. Kiran’s charm was only due to his selfish desires. {“If you know a half of what I knew about him, you’d probably be out for his blood too,”} Derim replied. He knew of a certain half-elf with carved up ears who had searched Salbad for Kiran. When Derim told him he didn’t know where Kiran had gone, the tall half-elf punched him hard enough to knock him to the ground, then took off.
Another dark elf entered the bar. He was just as attractive as the average dark elf and played up his cool coloration by dressing in dark blue. His long silver hair was pulled back in a braid, leaving his sharp elven features apparent, including his ice blue eyes.
He saw Derim and crossed the room to the table. With a smirk, he greeted Derim. {“Hey. Whose the beauty?”} he asked, smiling warmly to Thiana.
{“This is Thiana. Don’t get any ideas, she’s looking for Kiran,”} Derim replied to the dark elf, then looked to the bard. {“And this would be Jaron.”}
{“Great, what did he do now?”} was the first thing out of Jaron’s mouth.
Thiana blushed lightly at the initial comment, this man was good looking enough to get a glance. Obviously Kiran’s past was worse than she thought, maybe that was why he kept so silent. {“It is nice to meet you Jaron, he is not in hot water with me. Though that may change once I find him, depends on how things go. I had a small tryst with him four years ago, now he has a young son named Kailos back in the dark forest. I want to see him again, his son deserves to meet him at least once.”} She stated her business openly, so that Jaron would not get the wrong idea. Her golden eyes studied Jaron quietly, he seemed reliable. Theros was now sitting, warily looking at Jaron like he was unsure. {“The dog beside me is Theros, he comes everywhere with me.”}
{“Well, nice to meet you too, Thiana, and Theros,”} said Jaron as looked down at the dog and gave him an acknowledging nod. The dark elf moved behind Derim, then took a seat next to his friend. {“A son eh?”} He didn’t seem at all surprised, he and Derim both knew Kiran had to have a number of offspring, besides Nehen’s child and the half-elf who questioned Derim.
{“So, what did you tell her so far?”} Jaron asked Derim.
{“Well, that Kiran left last year. You know what ship he took, right?”} Derim asked.
{“He wouldn’t tell me. I had to follow him invisible, then he summoned the spirits as well when he reached the docks. The next ship that left was bound for Kanon,”} Jaron replied.
This search would take a long time at this rate, now she had to trace a year worth of his travel. Her confidence did not drop, this gave her an opportunity to expand her collection. {“In a year he could have gone far. I’ve traveled a lot as well. When does the next ship leave for Kanon? It’s been a long time since I’ve been there.”}Along the she could also learn more about Kraken, maybe she would get her pact on this journey.
{“Usually ships leave early in the morning,”} Jaron replied. {“The docks are nearly empty right now, but I don’t think any are leaving.”}
{“I’m sure you can find one tomorrow,”} Derim assured her. {“Until then, you are welcome to stay with us.”}
Thiana considered the offer, it was generous and they were friends of Kiran. She made up her mind quickly, that way they were not waiting. {“Thank you, I’ll take you up on your offer. Hopefully I can make the ship in time, an ocean voyage means I may be able to finally make my pact with Kraken.”} She had to start soon, otherwise her chance might slip away. Something she did not want to risk, it was important to her she achieve the pact with Kraken.
Derim grinned. {“Wonderful. Until then, let’s have a drink, hmm?”}
He waved for the bartender’s attention. “A bottle of elven wine, if you would!” Derim requested from across the room. The bartender gave him a thumbs up, then went under the bar to get a bottle for them.
{“A drink sounds wonderful. Perhaps if I get my stuff I’ll play a song or two. It’s at the inn a block west of here. They say my music can bring a room to its knees,”} she laughed as she spoke.
