You have been taken by the Mists

Author Topic: Lis Claret, notes and writing.  (Read 6914 times)

wildflame

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Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« on: February 08, 2017, 04:24:59 PM »


// Forgive me for any inconsistencies I might have in the lettering until I get her handwriting and the new dip pen nib down.
// Thanks to EtherealVanity for telling me how ugly the white paper was.



Lis jotted down the words angrily and stared at the unfinished poem in dismay, as if a solution to the hole she dug herself into will jump out of the page.
“Fifty hastes and twenty heals is far too much to ask for, I’m not a noble, I don’t know what that man is thinking, asking this..”
She carefully cleaned the tip of her quill, and put it aside, remembering well the last one she destroyed in a fit of rage. She covered her eyes with an arm and stared at the fabric top of her cramped tent, the incessant pattering of rain on the fabric of the tent was her music as she started considering the monumental task before her.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 02:44:21 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2017, 09:56:41 AM »
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 02:48:35 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2017, 09:57:58 AM »
Dear Rene,

As you already know, I have joined the Company of the Fox and my service
has been interesting and quite exciting. Needless to say my performance
as a defender of the fair Republique is flawless.

Something interesting happened a few days ago -  Impostors to the Company
were charging a toll for passing the lands outside the city, common thugs and
highwaymen  had the gall to wear the dark ultramarine of the Company and
damage its reputation.

They were dealt with by the Vicomte himself who chose to punish the impostors
as if they were soldiers, they received thirty beatings of the baton for their
crimes, but I know that such a punishment is far from what that scum deserves.

The vogelschiesse Baher continues to irk me, I still cannot believe the company
would let a Falkovnian into its ranks. It is a bad path to follow, as fair Dementlieu
should choose its rightful citizens to serve and protect it.
I am certain she's a spy or some kind of agent, and the Vicomte will be proud of
me when I uncover her.

I am hoping to have you visit soon, so we may catch up in person.
Send my love to aunt Adelaide.

Warmest regards,
Lis Claret.

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2017, 09:58:40 AM »
Dear Ange,

I was very happy to hear from you, after I did not find you in the fair city of Port-a-Lucine I wondered if you had indeed returned to Chatefaux or Nova Vaasa to continue your studies, I hope the attention you have received is in favor of what you wish to accomplish in the faith you uphold, even if I do not understand it, I hope you show them how you can shine and be rewarded accordingly.

The Savage land of Barovia is a dismal place, I hope you found better lodging than the one this letter was sent to, I know the filthy land is full of beasts and monstrous shape changers that roam the night. I do not know if I could have faced such an animal and survived on martial prowess alone but I am happy you did not meet your end like that and urge you to be careful during the night-time.

There is a rally for the Company of the Fox tonight, and there are rumors of payment so I am quite excited. I would have responded sooner, but the craftsman took far too long with the making of this, and have been paid accordingly.
I hope to hear from you soon, come to the camp if you find yourself in Port-a-Lucine, and I will treat us both to a fine dinner, away from the awful Sergeant that insists on making my life much harder than it needs to be.

Warmly,
Lis Claret.

[In the envelope is coarse tuft of hair braided with tiny glass beads, and connected to a miniature red bell, a similar one to the ones Lis often wears in her hair.]
« Last Edit: February 10, 2017, 06:51:14 PM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2017, 09:59:11 AM »


« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 02:56:21 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2017, 10:00:50 AM »
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 02:57:46 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2017, 10:27:40 AM »
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:00:45 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2017, 05:01:23 PM »
After the public hearing at the Palais Dirigent, with one of her commanders bringing her down and the other praising her, she got the night off and headed directly to her tent, going the opposite direction than all those who chose to go to the evening's entertainment and speak to the dead.
On her cold cot she carefully removed the kohl from her eyes and folded her uniform, after wrapping herself in the expensive fur she uses as a sleeping bag, the Soldat almost instantly sank into a well needed, dreamless sleep.


[The note is a little smudged and looks like it's been written in a hurry.]

« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 02:59:34 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2017, 04:55:00 AM »
The morning after the healing Lis took a walk about the Publique, smiling at the nobles as she passed them.
Returning to the tent, she folded her long legs under her, took her writing supplies out. What started as a silly song turned into something she liked, as if of its own accord.



Later in the afternoon, some fliers were scattered with the completed song and Lis went back abroad to work on her task.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:04:01 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2017, 05:12:37 AM »
Lis touched the angry blue bruises on her cheeks and neck, and wondered if the new tent was really worth it.
Already settled in, the current one felt just as crowded as the former with all the warm mink fur she brought with her from Barovia.
Would I have felt the same if I was in that thing's place? or would I have reached for the whip were I a proud Sergeant of the Fox and was disobeyed? Am I really in the wrong here?
An Elf arcanist said that he enjoyed watching me get beaten at the hands of that brute. Is that the capacity of the knife-eared race for sympathy, then? were they given only fair limb and hair? Or is it the way I acted that is at fault here. Doubting a Sergeant of the Fox is improper behavior for someone who wants to protect the land whether it is Caliban or not.

« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:04:37 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #10 on: February 18, 2017, 05:19:28 AM »
After Rene changed my bandages I had crawled back inside the tent. I had thought the wine induced sleep would help heal these burns but it seems the skin of my legs is conspiring against me. Perhaps that is why most people don't want to be cooked alive.
The whipping is today, and I feel it will hurt all the more when that filthy Falkovnian is the one holding the leather of my punishment. I refuse to believe the implications of this whipping is unnoticed by the Lieutenant. Does he seek to shatter the pride I hold, or did that filth covered woman ask to be the one to punish me?
Second Lieutenant Rosseau's task must not go unfinished, I want to impress him, even after this happened, I want to excel and shine.

« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:05:08 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2017, 04:26:01 AM »
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:07:23 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2017, 06:13:22 AM »
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:13:04 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2017, 05:49:56 PM »
It was hard to keep a steady hand when I tried to draw a Fox good enough for the Company, but with an aching back and tired eyes, and many light spells later, the final version was finally complete.

« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:13:36 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #14 on: March 01, 2017, 10:51:12 AM »
A small wooden crate full of silk and yarn samples is sitting covered in oilskin outside Lis' tent, and for the last three days, a candle has always been lit inside it, illuminating her slim form hunched over a small table. No music comes from the tent, no strumming of her old guitar or battered harp.

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2017, 12:33:41 AM »
A note is given.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:15:00 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2017, 10:31:02 AM »
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:15:30 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #17 on: March 05, 2017, 08:14:49 AM »
Lis returned to her tent to clean the blood and viscera from the makeshift operation done on the Hawk girl. A Regenerate scroll! What an incredible man the Captain is, showing mercy for a subhuman like a Falkovnian, no wonder he has Caliban under his control. I will have to make sure this kindness does not go to waste when I fix her.
Changing the tight uniform for a comfortable shirt and skirt she began to scrub and clean the pink drops standing out like tears on the pale gray of her pants.
When the uniform was spotless and drying she turned her eyes to the binder containing all her designs of the flag she was supposed to carry into battle. She picked it up and began to flip through the sketches and fabrics from the oldest to the newest, her breathing shallow as she observed all the work done in vain.
From the very first drawing done in cheap acrylics of the symbol she drew so many times she could now recreate it from sleep...


Turning her eyes to the Vicomte's symbol, she thought of the many discarded sketches she drew trying to fit it in. Joining the colors of the People's army was straightforward and simple, but the Roissy red did not fit the scheme, the cross too strange, the checkerboard too ugly.. And, well, this is a mercenary company, she thought, of course, it would be the swords.

Lis paused as she looked at the carefully stitched silk mock up Rosseau didn't destroy, and wondered what made her think he would accept any of her work, the marches she wrote were torn up and dismissed like trash, why would the flag be any different?
Annoyed at the tears that sprang to her eyes so readily as she caressed the silk held by big stitches, she picked up a bit of discarded fabric and wiped at them, before they could stain the drawings. The one he destroyed had intricate embroidery I doubt he would have had enough patience to stitch himself. No, that fiend can only destroy. He is incapable of creation. She flipped through the thick pile of fabric and paper carefully and looked at each sketch of her second child whose ashes already joined the first.

So much work gone to waste... Despite the thought, she smiled, wiping her eyes again.

The second was undoubtedly better than the third, a sleek dark banner that would strike fear into the hearts of the Company's enemies.
               

She closed the binder, setting it on the writing table as gently as if it was a newborn baby.
All it needed was a little embossing around the edges and the foxes, and it would have been done. But it was a lost cause, that fool does not want any mention of the history of the city in the banner, and I absolutely refuse to sew and march under one that will not speak of it. No. I can't be the Flagbearer, perhaps I should just stay a Soldat, and do my best from my position.

She reached for a bottle of wine.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:25:15 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2017, 07:38:32 AM »
What a headache.. Right. First, take a deep breath, then open your eyes.

Lis opened her eyes.

The now depressingly familiar wooden poles visible from the bottom bunk greeted her, the tent was washed in the gorgeous evening light coming off the bay.
I've been asleep for a day, at least..
She turned her eyes to the other bunk to spot the Vogelschiesse, tied to the bed and sleeping soundly.
At least they're treating that creature like the subhuman barbarian it is.
The Fox knew she had to get up and finish the job, resolving to burn the body this time, and scatter the ashes.
she must not be allowed to survive and spread the knowledge of what the Sous-Lieutenant did to..
The thought was cut short as Lis realized with a start that she, too, was securely bound to the bed.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2017, 07:45:59 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2017, 01:40:41 PM »
Straining against her bonds as far as they will go, inhaling deeply of the smell of gunpowder left behind in his place before it dissipates into the scent of the spring rains, Lis kept her awkward pose until her muscles began to shiver.
She watched the flap of the tent for a long time after Jerome closed it. He suggested she pray, but today was not the day to pray for herself. The Seventh of March, two years ago, the Falkovnian monsters took Edrigan.

And because of that Vogelschiesse I can't visit my parents graves on the anniversary of their death, that filthy woman doesn't know the damage she is causing, but she would enjoy it if she did.
Lis forced her head to drop to the pillow, slow her breathing, and relax.





Ezra, by whose mercy the souls of the faithful have rest - may it please You to watch over my parents where they lie, so that along with your saints, Clement and Elise Claret may find ever lasting joy in you.
Forgive me, Mother in the Mists, for my inability to carry out an orphan's duty. I will donate the whole of my next wage to Saint Mere.
« Last Edit: March 07, 2017, 03:22:45 PM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #20 on: March 08, 2017, 08:31:13 AM »
Lis returned to her tent, and began cleaning the three day old bloodstains off her uniform. But at least this time the blood was from blowing the side of Czyne’s head. Small mercies. She thought fiercely.
Taking a rag, she began to clean herself and considered the day’s strange events. The pile of letters Rosseau carried, thirty letters.. I should ask the Sous-Lieutenant for them, and respond to each and every one of those notes kindly and humbly.
Thirty letters! She repeated the number to herself, a smug hope rising unbidden in her breast.
One of them will be my defense, and another will be on the tribunal. This is the Company I love, this is the Company that wants revenge against the Falkovnian hoard.
The Vicomte looked as if he was about to kill me and I think he wanted to, after the protesters left, I knew he’d be angry, and I should be thankful to the grace he showed me in letting me go and visit my parents with Rene. He is a good man with good intentions, but is far too kind to the outlanders and Falkovnians. Lis picked up the humble, dark dress, and considered the prayers she would speak when she visits her parents’ graves.

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #21 on: March 11, 2017, 05:32:38 PM »
Lis neatly folded the bedroll up and sat on it, then dragged the tiny writing table to the middle of the tent.
She attached a shiny silver nib to the seagull feather and opened the ink pot.
Seeing that it was almost empty she carefully refilled it from the larger container of ink, settled down again, cleaned both containers and dipped her quill into the fresh ink.


Come on, not now.. Don’t fail me now. Write something, anything.

After too long of staring at the paper she finally reached for her pen wiper and tried to wipe the thick, dry ink from the thin metal. It flaked off, taking some of the silver coating with it. She flicked the ruined nib away from her to a corner of the tent and sat back with an annoyed sigh, her knee hitting the bottom of the table as it rose and knocked the freshly filled ink pot, its contents smattering the fresh paper and table.
She cleaned it up best she could, folding away all the dirty pieces of paper and, after closing the rebellious ink pot so tightly she’ll regret it tomorrow, Lay back on the folded bedroll, shoulders extruding from it to the cold ground of the tent.


« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:35:57 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #22 on: March 14, 2017, 05:34:23 PM »
Among the music notes, lines of poetry and magically copied letters is a strange sight indeed.
Could the slim, feminine woman truly be a saddle maker?



« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:37:57 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #23 on: March 17, 2017, 02:38:43 AM »
"Allowing a dwarf to be a corporal is a bad move for the company, at least the Caliban was from Dementlieu. Is the Corporal's position one for subhumans, then? is it given to them so they will feel equal? Things have certainly taken a turn for the worse since the tribunal. Did they just happen to forget that he was there and also did nothing to stop her from shooting the Falkovnian's head?"
Lis slowly opened her clenched fists as a smile spread across red lips. She looked at the self inflicted half moons on her pale skin and reached for her sewing kit.
"Still, I controlled my emotions and my reactions to him while the Dwarf was obviously petty. A small victory, but its size does not speak of its importance, and I will need to do a whole lot of this in the next four months.
He shall have his chevrons.
If he plans to keep abusing his position even before receiving the epaulets he's not going to last long. Besides, he's a Dwarf! The intricacies of the city will not bend to those thick, short, ugly fingers of his.
He had his chance with me when I helped him get something more reasonable for the city, but he repaid me with thoughtless violence."
Growing redder, she took a deep breath and continued sewing.
"No, stay calm, be a good Soldat. No one can see your toes clench in your boots. No one should be able to see more than your smile. Jerome and Juste do it well, You must also be able to control yourself.
Maybe some day, I'll make a pair of these for myself."
« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 05:39:14 AM by wildflame »

wildflame

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Re: Lis Claret, notes and writing.
« Reply #24 on: March 18, 2017, 08:30:22 AM »
Returning to the tent after a long day of oiling saddles and sharpening swords, she'd stretch her hands and allow the thin fingers some rest before taking up the thin threads bought with the last of her saved wages. "Ezra, steady my hand," She thought bitterly "How I hate mending silks."

Lis slipped on the expensive silken gloves she bought on her very first visit to Port-a-Lucine, "It seemed like such a fortune back then," Smiling to herself, she touched the frayed old silk, hardly more than a torn rag to any adventuring Outlander, but a symbol of freedom to the Revolutionaries, and nothing less than a national treasure to revolutionary in particular.
Not daring to even light a candle next to the bit of old fabric, she brought some magical light into existence and began to clean away the threads that couldn't be mended, then straightened it on the table with an iron she wouldn't dare heat enough to make the work easier.

Leaning back she'd rub her shoulders and roll her head to alleviate the pain in her back, while she enjoyed the odd jealous looks as she walked by in a revealing dress, it was almost not worth the constant aches. "You try walking with a pair of heavy jugs strapped to your chest." She huffed indignantly and crouched forward once more.

Carefully she cut a bit of the length to use as material for patches and began to tack triangular patches just like mother instructed in all those quiet afternoons sitting on the porch. "Never thought my needlework could be used to impress the commanders, well, not that the Devil Rosseau would ever be impressed with anything I ever create." She thought bitterly, trying to slip all the thin silken threads through the needle's tiny eye.



Her work was suddenly interrupted by a kick to the tent, one that shook its wooden foundation, the sharp needle running through her silk gloves into her left thumb as she nearly jumped out of her skin. She peeked out, the Vicomte of course, coming to check that she wasn't slacking around. Lis sighed inwardly and returned to working on the Company's equipment.


Returning to the tent only after finishing her duties once more and the Vicomte was nowhere to be found, she made tiny running stitches to hold the patch, then turned the sash over and worked in a long, flat, but quite even satin stitch, only finishing the final stitches when the natural light of the sun's rays replaced the light spell.
Lis held the restored sash up with a smile before carefully folding it. "He's going to like this."

« Last Edit: July 01, 2017, 03:40:22 AM by wildflame »