Humiliation and Resurrection

A day was done, a patrol was complete. Many tasks were done.
Those were the thoughts of the returning Zhentarim patrol along the road to Shadowdale. Among them Lendrick, who was more than satisfied with himself. Reminded by his deed of justice, she hang there on the tree. The Bardess Ticla Craggomoor.



Executed.

Now a macabre sight to all. Her body bending over like if she was eternally bowing to all who passed along the road. A warning to some, a sence of acomplishment to Lendrick. The justice of the Black hand had been done. And what perculiar sight it was. Lendrick turned to watch. He approched her.



Wasnt this the Bardess that gave him a snarl about his blood? Wasnt this the Bardess that made jokes of the Zhentarim right in front of them? Or her annoying, lifted chin as she was arrested the first time for her minor, but disturbances nontheless?



Lendrick grabs Ticla by her hair, and lifts her upward, to a standing position. With a soft thump her head is pushed against the Tree. Lendrick looks at her, a devious smile.

Now look at her. A silent body, perfectly obedient to the Black Hand's Troops and laws.

"See here, how she bows to us." Mocking words from the Tiefling warrior. And he releases his grip from Ticla's hair. Her body bends forward again, and remains so without so much as a twitch.

Bowing to the Zhentarim, every time they pass.



Laughter resounds, as the Zhentarim patrol leaves the execution tree and goes into the Town. A Fruitefull day it was indeed.

Ticla remained. Bound to the tree and motionless. Some villagers would pass, and gazed up to her in pity. But none dared to strech out a hand to give her the peace she deserved. She was to remain a there as a macabre display. For no-one would disobey the law of the Black hand without dire consequences.

But a forest so dense, has so it's known travelers, and unknown shadows. Observing, disguisted at the demonic Tyranny that had befallen the brave Bardess. And they who stood in the shadow of the forest would not allow such a pure heart to be a display of Bane's Tyranny over the land.



Ticla stared downward, to the ground. Some say she wasnt dead yet, but very mortally wounded. And that she played dead when Lendrick tied her to the tree. Some think her exection was performed with brutal effeciency, and not many of her internal organs were ravaged. None shall know, but the birds who heared her haunting scream of death, and saw her body fall to the ground.



No doubt was however, that she was raised by the Aasimar Called Elrick, who observed how Lendrick had played with Ticla's body on the tree. Disguisted, he had sought some relief in that breath of life he brought into Ticla, as he and Chance cut her down from the tree. No sight so rewarding as the Bright, emerald green eyes of the executed Bardess opening, and sending that first look of gratefullness. A weak embrace, trembling hands around his neck.

Ticla soon fainted, out of fatigue perhaps.. or sheer stress.

The task had befallen on Chance to return her home.

A lost Bardess, alive
Has returned home
A lost Bardess, alive
Has returned home

A Wanderer comes
Has returned home
A Wanderer comes
Has returned home

Strangely, the Zhentarim did not make much of a case from Ticla's arrival back into Shadowdale. They had likely hoped that the deviance of the young Bardess would now finally be over, and she was corrected into obedience to the Black hand.

The following days, Ticla was in the good care of Jaranna, the Inn's room keeper. She bought new clothes for Ticla, and brought her the meals but above all the emotional attention the Bardess needed. Something had changed, something had crept into Ticla. A dark fear for the Black hand, it's clergy and the Zhentarim. No matter what Jaranna tried, in Ticla's eyes was seen a mortal fear and terror never seen in her.



The Tyranny of Bane had taken hold. Ticla's mind was Enslaved.

As she walks Barefoot across the hallway of the Inn, one step at the time.. she holds no proud stance, but timid. Casting her eyes down onto the ground as a Zhentarim would pass. Feeling panicked as Malik Marduk would sit beside her in his menacing armor. Deep inside, the Bardess had died. A slave was born.




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//OOC: remember that both my drawing of other people's characters and how they are in this and future stories, are my interpretation of them, and should be seen as such. If you like to be included with your character, rp with Ticla ingame and that might just happen!

-TD.

(())

(( Yeah we love you ticla :3 ))

((OOC: ...makes me wish I knew Ticla just for epic drawings >_> my expression is summed up in this picture.

((I am amazed. This story and the art is fantastic! You should write graphic novels for a living ;p. Also, seeing Lendrick, Chance, and Elric so beautifully drawn makes me sort of jealous. I don't think Aesyr has ever crossed paths with you . I especially love lendrick's expression in the second picture! He should have a script in game that makes that picture appear any time he intimidates anyone. ))

\\I'm going to find you on my Zhent, torture you so I can be in the pictures too =D

*Hides*

All these stories make me want to create a new char so I can once again be within the tyranny of Shadowdale.

OOC: Indeed you are very talented to express emotions! I love them.

Big props

((was Lendrick okay? I sort of made up his armor, as Tic hasnt been close to him ever since so I didnt have a screenshot of his armor as documentation.

((It has more red in game, but believe me when I say it, nobody is going to care, your pictures are awesome either way. Great work. Fun to see Malik mentioned for once. ))

/// i think Lendrick looked fine, perhaps a little older than he is