ravens_falling (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} ravens_falling) wrote,@ 2007-06-15 18:30:00 |
|
[ A literary game for my writer geek friends... ]
Here are the rules of this little literary game:
1. You have to use every word in the set at least once.
2. You must create a coherent story, or at least a coherent scene.
3. The words must be used correctly.
4. No word in the set may be used as a proper noun.
5. Words must be bolded when used.
The word set:
montebank
charlatan
bilk
hustle
swindle
racketeer
malinger
rogue
beguile
blackgaurd
miscreant
profligate
rapscallion
My Story: Shadows of Silvermeet
Dannyan was a mountebank and a charlatan, and well he knew it. He used his charm and devastating good looks to get him out of, and usually into, pretty much every kind of trouble imaginable. After all, with that raven black hair and striking sapphire eyes, who could resist him?
Lady Elayne, that’s who, he thought with a little wounded pride as he stared out between the bars of his cell. He should have known better than to try and charm one such as her. However, he’d never been one to pass up a pretty face, and man was she a looker! And clever too. She’d seen right through him and closed in her little trap before he could even begin to bilk her.
The rogue was drawn out of his gloomy thoughts by a tap on the bars. The ham fisted, and smelling, guard regarded him with amusement. “Ye got a’ vis’ter. See as ye make it quick.” And he turned to go leaving Dannyan to stare into the darkness. He couldn’t see anyone. Then again, the torch that had been placed in the sconce outside his door had shot his dark vision, so that wasn’t surprising. His sight was a fair measure better than the average person’s, but even he had limitations.
“Out of your element are you, my little miscreant?” The voice that taunted him was lilting and musical… and completely unfamiliar. It was also female. That was enough to put a dashing, if wry, grin on his handsome face.
“Oh, not much more than usual. I’ve been in worse places, trust me.”
“I would not trust the likes of you as far as I could throw you, Dannyan of Silvermeet.” Her voice sounded very amused. “Though, I find your reputation may have been rather overstated.”
Her use of his name whipped the smile from his face as it he had been slapped. “Where did you get that name?” As far as he knew, there wasn’t a living soul outside of Silvermeet itself who knew his real name. When about in the world he had always used fake names and so it seemed nearly impossible that anyone could know him. Yet, somehow, this woman, whoever she was, did. He stood and walked over to the bars, trying to locate her.
“Not so witty and beguiling now, are you, Dannyan? For a profligate blackguard, I found you shamefully easy to hustle. Rather sad, really.” And she took a step forward out of the deep shadow and dropped the cowl of her black cloak. She smiled carnivorously when she heard his gasp of shock and could not help but laugh.
“Elayne! How… what?” Dannyan was utterly stunned. There she stood, all five and a half feet of her stunning beauty. She had long scarlet hair that was pulled up in elaborate braids and curls around her pixie like, fine featured face. Her eyes were a deep and liquid green, flashing and keen. Contrary to a few hours ago, however, she was clad more in the manner of a ranger than as a noblewoman of the Imperial City. The change in her look was shocking enough, but her whole demeanor had changed as well. Gone was the coquettish girl to be replaced by this figure of cold and intelligent purpose. Dannyan could not think of a single retort, and so just sat down roughly on the wooden bench behind him. “Why?” Was all he could really manage at this point.
She closed the distance between them and leaned against the bars, studying him closely. She could very clearly see the legacy of his mother’s folk in him, the ethereal beauty, sharp and attractive features, those eyes of his, and, of course, the slightly pointed ears. He tried to hide them behind the falls of his long sable hair, but she knew they were there. There were other things she could see as well. A certain amount of weariness and weight lay upon his strong shoulders. He might try to play the careless rapscallion, but she could see better than that. If she was right, and there was a core of decency in him, then this insane plan of her’s just might not get them both killed.
“Why? Because I needed to get a look at you for myself. I had to see if there was anything beyond a racketeer with which to work. That skill will come in handy, but if that’s all there were to you, then I’d have no use for you. A malinger is easy to find, an artist is harder to come by.”
Dannyan frowned, obviously confused. “Come again?”
She sighed and gazed at him keenly. “Your father once served in this city, a Knight of the Imperium. I knew him, when I was a girl… before…” She looked away for a moment, getting her feelings back under control. “He told me once that if I ever found myself in a tight spot that needed a different kind of aid I should keep a lookout for a dashing swindler who would likely be traveling under the name Merian Tall. It was a simple matter to track you down and get the right information into your ear to draw you here to me.”
The rogue’s eyes narrowed and he became all stillness and danger. “What do you know of my father? And what do you really want, Lady Elayne?” He said the title like a sneer.
She regarded him steadily. “I know he was a good man, and that the things they say about him are not true. I also know that you might be the only person who can help me.”
Dannyan stood and came before her, arms crossed over his chest. “What on earth would make you believe that I would help you? You’ve admitted to tricking me, and then you had me tossed me in here. I’m feeling rather disinclined to doing much of anything for you, lady.”
Elayna didn’t flinch. “You are going to help me, half elf, because I can get you in front of the man who is responsible for your father’s death.”
His eyes narrowed further. “And in return?”
“You’re going to help me restore the rightful Emperor to the throne.”
“Arias is alive?” He seemed genuinely shocked.
“I have reason to believe so. But I can’t know for sure without your help. What I offer is a chance to clear your father’s name, restore your family’s honor, and reclaim your rightful place in the Imperium if you so wish it.”
“And what makes you think any of that means anything to me?”
She sighed. “There’s also a heap of gold involved.”
A dangerous smile appeared on his devastating face. “Now you’re talking.”
***
Here are the rules of this little literary game:
1. You have to use every word in the set at least once.
2. You must create a coherent story, or at least a coherent scene.
3. The words must be used correctly.
4. No word in the set may be used as a proper noun.
5. Words must be bolded when used.
The word set:
montebank
charlatan
bilk
hustle
swindle
racketeer
malinger
rogue
beguile
blackgaurd
miscreant
profligate
rapscallion
My Story: Shadows of Silvermeet
Dannyan was a mountebank and a charlatan, and well he knew it. He used his charm and devastating good looks to get him out of, and usually into, pretty much every kind of trouble imaginable. After all, with that raven black hair and striking sapphire eyes, who could resist him?
Lady Elayne, that’s who, he thought with a little wounded pride as he stared out between the bars of his cell. He should have known better than to try and charm one such as her. However, he’d never been one to pass up a pretty face, and man was she a looker! And clever too. She’d seen right through him and closed in her little trap before he could even begin to bilk her.
The rogue was drawn out of his gloomy thoughts by a tap on the bars. The ham fisted, and smelling, guard regarded him with amusement. “Ye got a’ vis’ter. See as ye make it quick.” And he turned to go leaving Dannyan to stare into the darkness. He couldn’t see anyone. Then again, the torch that had been placed in the sconce outside his door had shot his dark vision, so that wasn’t surprising. His sight was a fair measure better than the average person’s, but even he had limitations.
“Out of your element are you, my little miscreant?” The voice that taunted him was lilting and musical… and completely unfamiliar. It was also female. That was enough to put a dashing, if wry, grin on his handsome face.
“Oh, not much more than usual. I’ve been in worse places, trust me.”
“I would not trust the likes of you as far as I could throw you, Dannyan of Silvermeet.” Her voice sounded very amused. “Though, I find your reputation may have been rather overstated.”
Her use of his name whipped the smile from his face as it he had been slapped. “Where did you get that name?” As far as he knew, there wasn’t a living soul outside of Silvermeet itself who knew his real name. When about in the world he had always used fake names and so it seemed nearly impossible that anyone could know him. Yet, somehow, this woman, whoever she was, did. He stood and walked over to the bars, trying to locate her.
“Not so witty and beguiling now, are you, Dannyan? For a profligate blackguard, I found you shamefully easy to hustle. Rather sad, really.” And she took a step forward out of the deep shadow and dropped the cowl of her black cloak. She smiled carnivorously when she heard his gasp of shock and could not help but laugh.
“Elayne! How… what?” Dannyan was utterly stunned. There she stood, all five and a half feet of her stunning beauty. She had long scarlet hair that was pulled up in elaborate braids and curls around her pixie like, fine featured face. Her eyes were a deep and liquid green, flashing and keen. Contrary to a few hours ago, however, she was clad more in the manner of a ranger than as a noblewoman of the Imperial City. The change in her look was shocking enough, but her whole demeanor had changed as well. Gone was the coquettish girl to be replaced by this figure of cold and intelligent purpose. Dannyan could not think of a single retort, and so just sat down roughly on the wooden bench behind him. “Why?” Was all he could really manage at this point.
She closed the distance between them and leaned against the bars, studying him closely. She could very clearly see the legacy of his mother’s folk in him, the ethereal beauty, sharp and attractive features, those eyes of his, and, of course, the slightly pointed ears. He tried to hide them behind the falls of his long sable hair, but she knew they were there. There were other things she could see as well. A certain amount of weariness and weight lay upon his strong shoulders. He might try to play the careless rapscallion, but she could see better than that. If she was right, and there was a core of decency in him, then this insane plan of her’s just might not get them both killed.
“Why? Because I needed to get a look at you for myself. I had to see if there was anything beyond a racketeer with which to work. That skill will come in handy, but if that’s all there were to you, then I’d have no use for you. A malinger is easy to find, an artist is harder to come by.”
Dannyan frowned, obviously confused. “Come again?”
She sighed and gazed at him keenly. “Your father once served in this city, a Knight of the Imperium. I knew him, when I was a girl… before…” She looked away for a moment, getting her feelings back under control. “He told me once that if I ever found myself in a tight spot that needed a different kind of aid I should keep a lookout for a dashing swindler who would likely be traveling under the name Merian Tall. It was a simple matter to track you down and get the right information into your ear to draw you here to me.”
The rogue’s eyes narrowed and he became all stillness and danger. “What do you know of my father? And what do you really want, Lady Elayne?” He said the title like a sneer.
She regarded him steadily. “I know he was a good man, and that the things they say about him are not true. I also know that you might be the only person who can help me.”
Dannyan stood and came before her, arms crossed over his chest. “What on earth would make you believe that I would help you? You’ve admitted to tricking me, and then you had me tossed me in here. I’m feeling rather disinclined to doing much of anything for you, lady.”
Elayna didn’t flinch. “You are going to help me, half elf, because I can get you in front of the man who is responsible for your father’s death.”
His eyes narrowed further. “And in return?”
“You’re going to help me restore the rightful Emperor to the throne.”
“Arias is alive?” He seemed genuinely shocked.
“I have reason to believe so. But I can’t know for sure without your help. What I offer is a chance to clear your father’s name, restore your family’s honor, and reclaim your rightful place in the Imperium if you so wish it.”
“And what makes you think any of that means anything to me?”
She sighed. “There’s also a heap of gold involved.”
A dangerous smile appeared on his devastating face. “Now you’re talking.”
***
