[ORP] Firestorm Manor

[Quixote]

Quixote entered last. The golden glow... his freshly repaired armor... it looked like it was magical already. "Ooooooh," he exclaimed, his eyes wide. Drawing closer he ran his hand over the pieces inspecting the new fittings, everything was perfect! What a wonderful day this was.

"I can't tell you two how much this means to me," he said, his eyes tearing up just a little. "Thank you, thank you both. I know this armor will soon be the best in the world!"

[Nikola]

Nikola followed TK into the room, but she allowed Quixote the first close look at the armor. His reaction warmed her heart and she wrapped an arm around him to give him a hug. “I’m so glad you approve, Quixote. The repairs were long overdue, you know.”

She waited until he had finished caressing the armor to step closer to get a better look. The smith had done an admirable job of smoothing out the many and varied dents and dings and the metal plate now gleamed from the polishing done to it. All the leather straps had been replaced with new and they felt strong and durable to her touch. She nodded in satisfaction. “I will let the smith know that we are well pleased with his workmanship.”

Turning to TK, she smiled again. “I guess it is your turn now, my friend. Shall we leave you to work alone, or would you mind if we watched?”

[Texas_Knight]

TK watched as the Knight gushed over how his armor looked and had to admit that it looked very nice. "You are welcome Quixote. It won't make you invincible, but with a little diligence should be able to withstand most attacks."

Turning to Nikola, TK smiled "I think we were headed for a walk before I started on the armor. I just have to remove the leather and place it in the already prepared basin." TK demonstrated how easily that was done by deftly unbuckling the straps and laying them flat in the basin within a matter of seconds. "That will have to soak a few hours before I do anything else. So there's ample opportunity for a stroll."

TK was looking forward to the stroll, it's true. To see the grounds and get some fresh air is something he liked very much. He was also hoping to spend more time with Nikola and perhaps clear his mind on some things that he wasn't sure about. Life is complicated, and he wished it weren't so vague most of the time, but things were rarely completely clear.

[Quixote]

Quixote watched slack-jawed as the pieces went in the solution and the rays of evening sun played on both armor and liquid flashing and whirling. He was still mesmerized after the liquid settled and the light show was over.

Finally, he shook his head. "Will the straps be magicked too? or will that be an achilles heel of mine?"

[Texas_Knight]

TK caught the look on Quixotes face as he put the straps into the solution. TK had done it so many times that he was familiar with the effects of the liquid. It was especially reactive with new leather as it absorbed. TK chuckled and nodded at Quixote. "Aye, the straps too will be resistant to the shock. Wouldn't do much good to have those unprotected since they connect everything together." As the solution finally settles TK covers the basin and locks the lid in place.

[Nikola]

Nikola watched with interest as TK worked, her smile broadening to see the wonder and pleasure on Quixote's face. She was looking forward to seeing him in his new armor, although a part of her cringed knowing that he would be ready to be off to slay another monster or tilt at another windmill at the first opportunity. She trusted TK to do whatever was in his power to help protect her knight errant and friend.

She remained quiet, admiring how TK handled the armor with such practiced ease and watching the interplay between her two guests until TK covered the basin and locked the lids into place, signaling an end to that portion of the preparation. Flashing them both a bright smile, she invited Quixote to join the tour. "Quixote, would you like to join us as I take TK on a tour of the grounds? This is his first visit to Firestorm Manor, other than dropping me at my door after a night out in the taverns, and I promised to show him around."

[Quixote]

Quixote nodded dumbly as TK explained bits of the process. 'resistant to shock' he had said, and Quixote suddenly remembered that was the point of the spell. He had somehow decided that the new armor would render him impervious, entirely unable to lose a battle. But now he did remember that the goal was to dampen the effects of the Xanthareel's special electrical attack. It would be wise to remember that.

"Resistant, not impervious," he said out loud. "After all, if everyone was galloping around in impervious armor the monsters wouldn't have a sporting chance. And if two impervious knights should face each other they would fight until their swords fell apart and one collapsed from exhaustion."

"Quixote, would you like to join us as I take TK on a tour of the grounds? This is his first visit to Firestorm Manor, other than dropping me at my door after a night out in the taverns, and I promised to show him around."

"By all means, my lady. I haven't had a proper tour myself, just going here and there and seeing bits of it."

[Nikola]

Nikola nodded as Quixote agreed to join the tour and led them both down the hall toward the back entrance to the manor. As they stepped out onto the lanai she paused to take in the familiar sight, allowing both her guests to exit the house and join her. The deck of the lanai was paved in stones mortared together to produce an even walking surface. The stone remained cool most of the year due to the ivy that grew in abundance here, winding its way around the stone pillars that were posted every five feet down the length of the lanai. The ivy also hung overhead, wound around and through a wooden lattice that covered the lanai, lending shade to the area year round. Sunlight filtered down through the ivy, but was never so direct as to produce a great amount of heat here.

“I find this space to be peaceful and relaxing. The living vines renew my spirit and even the stone lends me its strength at times. I often escape the drudgery of my office by coming out here to relax and meditate,” she told them, already feeling the peaceful effect of the lanai renewing her spirit, although the day had been far from stressful.

She led them to the steps that led from the lanai into the clearing that lay between the lanai and the inlet from Lake Fenia that flowed through the estate. “I use this space for training the dogs, and of course it can be used for games or parties or anything really. I do like its location as it makes for a great landing spot for dragons.” She grinned back at them both and then led them down the stairs onto the lawn. “As you can see the entire estate is set within a heavily wooded area, and those woods are home to rabbits, deer and other game. Much of the meat we eat here comes from what we hunt in these woods.” She looked at TK as she added, “The boar I spoke of is out there somewhere. I am told he’s quite the beast. I assume he is a male as he has always been alone when seen, but he’s quite adept at eluding the hunters. There have been no reports of a herd of females about, so I’m not sure what brought him here. I’ve not seen him myself, but he is yours for the hunting when you are ready.”

They walked across the lawn to the water’s edge where she pointed out the small wooded island on the opposite bank of the inlet. "Beyond that island the inlet rejoins the main body of the lake." From there they followed the bank until they came to the edge of the woods outside the perimeter of the estate’s cultivated grounds. “From here, the rest of the estate is completely wild and untouched except for the occasional hunter or hiker. I enjoy wandering the woods whenever I get the chance. I usually take the dogs with me, or at least one of them. They tend to scare the smaller woodland creatures, so if I really just want some peace and quiet to myself, I will go alone. Iris does not much care for me doing that, though, so usually I have at least one of the dogs along,” she smiled at the mention of her steward’s protective nature.

They wandered through the woods, keeping near the edge until they had rounded the grounds to where the stables were located on the northern side of the manor house. The buildings were built of wood, reinforced with stone so that they could withstand a great deal of weather without undue harm to the building or its inhabitants. “Your horses will be housed in here if you wish to visit them while you are here. Otherwise, Ben is happy to fetch them for you when you are ready to ride again. He does love horses, and is quite good with them, too. He keeps my Starr exercised and well groomed, probably even better than I would do.”

After leaving the stables, she led them along the front of the manor and through the hedge maze that had been cultivated in front of the house long before she had moved in. The maze stretched for more than half the length of the house. It was not a large maze, but was certainly a unique decoration for the grounds. They continued to wander the grounds, briefly entering the woods to the south of the house before heading back to the lanai.

As they climbed the stone steps to reach the house again, she turned her head to look at them both. “You are welcome to roam the grounds any time you like. TK, you certainly have my permission to hunt in these woods any time you wish. I would just ask that you let someone know you are here for that purpose so we don’t have any misunderstandings or accidents out there.”

[Quixote]

“I use this space for training the dogs, and of course it can be used for games or parties or anything really. I do like its location as it makes for a great landing spot for dragons.

At this, Quixote's hand automatically went to where his sword would have been if he had been wearing one. He was always wary of dragons.

The place was beautiful and well cultivated. He found the tour quite relaxing, and he was glad that it was not arduous. His formal dinner slippers were really not made for traversing uneven ground.

He watched TK as the orc studied his surroundings. Quixote had no orc friends, and the story books were not kind to them by and large, describing them as brutish and coarse. Quixote tended to believe story book descriptions until he actually met a representative of a species, but tried to keep an open mind from there. He had been proved wrong quite a few times by assuming the truth of the legends. This orc had to be remarkable though, he was smart, strong, observant, and knowledgeable in both magic and hunting. He was glad they were friends instead of enemies.

[Texas_Knight]

TK smiled as they stepped back outdoors. Inside was nice at times, but outside is the place he longed to be most of the time. TK didn't exactly meditate, but he did like to drink his brandy on his back porch as the sun set in the western sky. But the view here was something to behold indeed. He smiled as she led the way down the steps to the lush lawn. He listened to her and nodded as she described the reports of the boar. "I shall see if I can rid your lands of the menace so that it does not encroach on your interior grounds and threaten your animals. And once I've caught the beast I'll make certain that you get a look at him if you wish before he's made into various chops and such."

During the short walk into the woods TK was sure he heard some large animals about the area. He tuned his keen hearing in the direction of the rustling and was almost certain they were being watched from a distance by something in the woods. His keen senses were positive that the beast was four-footed and hooved. He would have to see that the beast was dealt with most quickly before it grew bold enough to cause harm.

TK was struck by the beauty of the place. He followed as Nikola described and showed them both the grounds. "You truly have a very beautiful place here Nikola. As for the hunting, perhaps you would like to accompany me on the first hunt so that I may become more familiar with the outlying areas and also so you'll have a protector on your walk and your servants won't worry about your safety. Just an idea if you think you might want to do so." TK smiled and added "We certainly wouldn't want any accidents out there, so if I had a guide that was familiar with the outlying areas it would be most helpful in avoiding unwanted pitfalls."

Yes, there was another reason he wished her to accompany him on the first hunt, but that would remain kept to himself until another time. If there was a beast out there, it would soon grow tired of skirting the edges and would begin making bolder advances into the grounds. Perhaps it was a huge boar. Perhaps it was something else though and the boar was just another shape it was taking. TK had no way of knowing, but he wasn't going to wait too long before he found out.