Thaldorn And Lanivara: From Jojobo To New Celest, Part Two

Alarin

The shadowy silhouette of two gorillas standing side by side materialise upon the stage as the curtains are raised. The voice of Alarin Stormcrow can be heard from somewhere no one can see.

ALARIN: In the first part of our tale, the fateful meeting between Thaldorn and Lanivara had taken place, with a startling revelation about Lanivara's caretaker, Nicolae.

ALARIN: And so, our story continues!

As Alarin's voice fades slowly, rhythmic drumbeats echo across the room. A soft light encompasses the stage before you as the silhouettes come into focus. Appearing first is a gargantuan silverback gorilla clad in plate armour of solid gold, standing at attention, exuding an almost feral aura. At his side, a second gorilla with bright pink hair almost the same size as he smiles warmly at the audience.

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****THALDORN AND LANIVARA:***

*********FROM JOJOBO*********

********TO NEW CELEST********

**********PART TWO***********

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As the drumbeats begin to cease, the scene before you fades to black. Calligraphic lettering begins to appear.

EXILED

"Why have you never told me any of this?!" Lanivara demanded as three figures appear onstage, a vast jungle region materialising behind them.

"It... honestly never crossed my mind to tell you about it," Nicolae admitted as Thaldorn watched the pair with interest.

Though the tribal chieftain tried his best not to show it, this rather fiery young gorilla intrigued him.

Not to mention that she had been the only other gorilla he'd seen since his parents were slain.

"Most of our warriors would not think to divulge such, miss," Thaldorn added helpfully.

Lanivara whirled around to face him, her expression indignant.

"Was I speaking to you?! No!" she huffed angrily.

Giving Nicolae a sympathetic look, Thaldorn backed away, his hands raised in resignation.

"THANK you! Now you, talk!" Lanivara continued, turning back to Nicolae, who himself retreated a few steps.

"Since many of our doings are not exactly allowed to be shared under tribe law, I just never brought it up at all," Nicolae admitted.

Lanivara snorted in derision.

"Sod your bloody tribal laws!" she hissed before storming off in anger.

"I rather like this one," Thaldorn mused to himself silently as he watched her stomp off.

"I must apologise for her behaviour, Chieftain," Nicolae began, but Thaldorn shook his head.

"No, it is quite all right Syr Nicolae," Thaldorn insisted.

Taking a horn fastened to his waistbelt, Thaldorn blew into it.

A thundering blast resounded throughout the area.

Within minutes, every member of the tribe who had joined the chieftain on this particular mission was at his side.

"Warriors, the hunt begins," Thaldorn announced loudly. His declaration was met with cheers. "I want every poacher in this area found and the creatures who still have a chance at life to be taken care of. Go!"

As the tribal hunters disappeared in various directions, Thaldorn turned to Nicolae.

"Would you and Vannevar care to join me for old time's sake, Syr?" he asked.

After a slight moment of hesitation, Nicolae nodded.

"It would be an honour, Chieftain. I should probably give Lanivara time to calm down, at any rate," Nicolae answered, drawing his spear.

"The honour is all mine, Syr. Come, let us hunt!" Thaldorn beamed as they too joined the search.

Gorilla, loboshigaru, and wolf-hound race through the thick jungle vegetation. Trained in the art of tracking, Vannevar occasionally paused to sniff the area before re-joining his master.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" a high-pitched voice echoed in the distance. Before either Thaldorn or Nicolae could react, Vannevar raced off in the direction of the yelling, snarling and barking as he did so.

Nicolae's blood ran cold.

"It's--" he tried, but Thaldorn already knew.

Lanivara.

The young tribal leader sprinted after the wolf-hound, exchanging the thornstave for a spear as he took long strides across the terrain, Nicolae not too far behind.

"Drop your weapons or perish!" Thaldorn issued a warning as he arrived to find a team of poachers cornering Lanivara.

As Vannevar now stood before Lanivara in an attempt to guard her, one of the poachers snickered.

"Why don' you come over 'ere an' make us, gorilla?" he leered, displaying his rotted yellow teeth. "I reckon we can make double our gol' 'ere if we'n turn th' both o' you in!"

"So be it!" Thaldorn snarled, leaping into the air.

Lanivara stood frozen as she watched Thaldorn quickly dispatch of each poacher one by one, saving the one who'd just challenged him for last.

"W-wait!" the one with the yellowed teeth stammered as Thaldorn's giant hand that was now gripped around his throat began to constrict his breathing.

"Talk. Fast," Thaldorn spat out as Lanivara crouched down next to Vannevar, softly stroking his fur.

"Someone'n offered a fortune in gol' if we brough' back one or both o' you! Someone knew where she was," the poacher croaked, pointing at Lanivara.

A feral and vicious growl escaped from Thaldorn as his crimson eyes bore into the hapless ruffian.

"H-had I known you were the other, I ne'er woulda come!" he finished, his breathing labored.

"Not good enough," Thaldorn proclaimed before hoisting the poacher over his head, causing him to scream in fright.

Thaldorn suddenly felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Don't," she whispered softly.

The chieftain felt his anger evaporate almost immediately at that one simple word.

Placing the man back onto the ground, Thaldorn inched his face close to that of the ruffian.

"Thank this kind miss whom you were about to kill for her generous compassion. For I would have had none if she were not here," Thaldorn growled menacingly.

"I thankee, missus! Thankee!" the poacher managed gratefully, rubbing at his throat.

"You send word to whoever sent you," Thaldorn commanded, his voice low, every word laden with utter contempt.

#wait 10000

bs improv 7 "Should anyone come after her again, they will be dealing with me personally," Thaldorn's voice rumbled with barely contained rage.

Behind him, he could hear Lanivara breathe a sigh of relief. 

Shoving the disheveled and beaten man, Thaldorn bellowed a single word that boomed across the jungle.

"GO!"

ALARIN: It was from that day foward that Thaldorn and Lanivara began to grow close to one another.

A still image in vivid detail flashes across the stage, showing a happy couple smiling at one another.

"I cannot believe I loathed you when we first met!" Lanivara's voice can be heard as a hunting camp comes into view. Both the tribal chieftain and the pink-haired silverback stand watching the sun disappear, declaring the end of another day in the jungle of Jojobo.

Thaldorn gasped in disbelief, a hand held over his chest.

"You did?!" he asked with feigned indignation. Lanivara thumped him on the head. "...aye, I had that one coming."

Lanivara laughed as Thaldorn absently rubbed at the area where she'd just hit him.

"So erm..." Thaldorn began uncertainly, looking away.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Lanivara queried curiously, gazing at him.

"Well... you recall the Rite of Unity that Syr Nicolae finally underwent?" Thaldorn managed to get out nervously.

Nicolae had too fallen in love with a human woman that both gorillas adored. Their ceremony of unity had taken place just a few months earlier.

"Do I!" Lanivara breathed, sighing. "It was beautiful--"

The she-gorilla froze mid-sentence, her eyes now searching Thaldorn's face.

"Why Mister Thornfist, are you asking me to be your bethrothed?!" Lanivara inquired.

Thaldorn gulped.

Well, now that she had just blurted it out like that, here goes nothing!

"Aye. I am," Thaldorn admitted in almost a whisper.

After what seemed like an eternity to the thorn-fisted warrior, Lanivara spoke.

"...I have waited two years for you to ask," she confessed.

Thaldorn blinked, not believing what he'd just heard.

"Why so surprised, you big oaf?" Lanivara teased, taking his hand into hers.

"Nothing would make me happier!"

The scene begins to fade as Thaldorn and Lanivara press their foreheads gently against one another, smiling.

A lush jungle garden enclosed by a fence of thorned vines appears. Thaldorn and Lanivara can be seen standing at the center of attention. Donning a pristine suit of white, the tribal leader of the Hunters of the Thorned Vines looks almost regal as he holds Lanivara by the hand, admiring the dress she had chosen for the occasion: a glistening ensemble a much lighter shade of pink than her hair.

ALARIN: In a private and intimate affair, attended only by those closest to the pair, Thaldorn and Lanivara were bound in unity to one another.

"May your union be everlasting, your love for one another eternal," invoked one of the priests of Rahm.

The priest looked out towards the small gathering of ceremony attendees.

"May I present to you Chieftain Thaldorn and Lady Lanivara Rhiantha!"

Congratulatory applause met his proclamation as the couple embraced, the scene fading slowly.

Several days later...

"Chieftain! Chieftain!" a voice calls out as a young aslaran came racing onto the stage. Before him stood the infamous Hall of the Thorned, where all presiding chieftains resided during their reign.

Lanivara was the first to open the grand doors of their home, allowing the young one entry.

"Hello there, little one!" Lanivara beamed as the youngster walked through the open doors.

"Greetings, Lady Rhiantha. May I speak with the Chieftain, please? It is urgent," the youth greeted back.

"He is here somewhere. Thaldorn!" Lanivara called out.

"I am right here," Thaldorn spoke from behind his wife, startling her. He chuckled as she swatted at him in mock annoyance.

"Stop doing that, Mister Thornfist!" Lanivara scolded him.

"Never!" Thaldorn said to Lanivara, winking at his wife.

He laid a soft kiss on her cheek, then turned towards the aslaran who seemed troubled.

"Aye, lad? What is it?" Thaldorn asked as Lanivara disappeared further into their home.

"I have an urgent message here from Tijah, Syr!" the youngster replied, hastily handing Thaldorn a roll of parchment.

As he unrolled the message and began to read, the tribal leader's eyes grew wide.

"They found the one leading the main poacher camp?!" Thaldorn said aloud, prompting his wife to emerge and rush to his side.

She too read the parchment, gasping. "They found him!"

"Indeed, dearest," Thaldorn confirmed before saluting the one who delivered the message.

As the youth scurried away, Thaldorn opened his mouth to speak, but Lanivara shook her head and smiled.

"I know what I married, love. Go," she insisted.

Thaldorn shot his wife a sincere look of gratitude as he prepared himself to join the others who had found the leader of the poachers.

In no time at all, the Chieftain of the Hunters of the Thorned Vines was in full battle armaments, both the Thornstave of Aslarn and his trusted spear fastened upon his back.

"Be safe, my love," Lanivara bade him farewell as he kissed her on the forehead and headed for the door.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, sighing.

"Return home to me."

"I swear it, dearest," Thaldorn promised. "I will see you soon."

The scenery shifts slowly...

Thaldorn now stood before a set of iron-wrought gates that barred entry into the camp ahead.

The other fourteen Thorn Fists stood side by side behind him, prepared to enter what would be the greatest battle of their lives.

Tijah nodded at him as Thaldorn positioned himself before those gathered to join him in battle.

"Stand strong, hold true!" Thaldorn called out to his warriors. The beating of weapon against armour began to sound, growing in volume. 

"This day, we end this!"

A thunderous roar from the assembled army resounded throughout the jungle around them.

"Archers are ready at your command, Syr!" came the call from the commander of the archery unit.

"My warriors are prepared to follow the Thorn Fists into the fray, my Chieftain!" the Spearmaster reported.

Thaldorn nodded once in acknowledgement.

The preparations were complete.

"Thorn Fists! TO ARMS!" Thaldorn shouted, charging the gate at full speed.

"We're under attack!" the chieftain heard one of the ruffians cry out as he and fourteen others landed on the opposite side of the barricade that was meant to keep them at bay.

Wielding the Thornstave, Thaldorn barrelled through their first line of defense alone, the Thorn Fists following their leader into the fray.

"The gate has been breached! Fall back! Fall back!" someone Thaldorn assumed was the poaching army's leader cried out as the gates into the camp were thrown wide open.

"Archers, on my command!" Thaldorn ordered as he and the Thorn Fists obliterated a second makeshift barricade that the enemy had sloppily attempted to construct.

"FIRE!"

Poachers began to fall quickly as arrows pierced through their garments and became lodged into their bodies.

"Reinforcements! Brace yourselves!" Thaldorn shouted as the second line of warriors joined the Thorn Fists.

In front of them, more men joined the poachers in an attempt to repel the attack on their camp.

"ENOUGH!" a familiar voice called out.

From within the biggest dwelling in the camp, the former Chieftain Sarel appeared, looking quite angry.

"Sarel?!" Thaldorn managed to get out as he drew back from the attack.

The kind and patient face of the aslaran who had raised him was almost unrecognisable now.

"Aye. Me," he answered simply as he now stood before his once-protege, sneering. "Surprised?"

"I do not understand..." Thaldorn muttered. Sarel snickered haughtily.

"Of course a simpleton like you would never understand!" Sarel scoffed in derision.

Thaldorn stood visibly shaken as Sarel eyed him with a look that meant one thing:

Contempt.

"I, who led the Hunters of the Thorned Vines, cast aside for the likes of YOU, a common beast!" Sarel spat hatefully, confusing Thaldorn even further.

"I have no idea what you are even talking about!" Thaldorn returned, bewildered.

"Oho, is that so? Then I guess they," Sarel gestured to the other fourteen Thorn Fists. "...have not told you how I was forced to resign by unanimous vote."

"You were... what?!" Thaldorn demanded, glancing at his bretheren, who all nodded.

"That is because you became too much of a tyrant, Sarel!" one of the Thorn Fists accused him openly.

"Why was I not made aware there was a vote?" Thaldorn asked softly, suddenly feeling drained.

"Oh, I can answer that one for you," Sarel sneered, again pointing at each of the Thorn Fists in turn. "When a chieftain is forced to resign, their replacement is chosen beforehand. They chose you. By tribal law, the successor is excluded from the vote."

"We also thought you would vote in his favour without knowing his true nature, Chieftain," another of the Thorn Fists told Thaldorn as he glowered at Sarel.

"...then why did you ask me to replace you, Sarel?" Thaldorn pressed.

At Thaldorn's words, every Thorn Fist now glared at Sarel.

Sarel snorted. "You thought I could do no wrong. You were so gullible, I knew such a gesture would have you continue to think so. I used you."

"As all beasts should be used," Sarel snarled, motioning to someone behind him.

Thaldorn watched as one of the poachers dragged a badly beaten lioness to Sarel.

The lioness looked weak, her malnourished body riddled with open wounds.

Seeing the distraught look on Thaldorn's face, Sarel guffawed loudly before kicking the poor lioness in the gut.

"STOP! What the blazes are you doing, Sarel!" Thaldorn bellowed, advancing foward.

"I am doing what I should have done with you the day we met!" Sarel raged viciously. He pointed at the crumpled form at his feet.

"Like you, she is just an animal to be used and disposed of like common rubble," Sarel said finally, a malicious grin etched on his face.

Sarel's words seemed to echo repeatedly inside his head.

#wait 10000

"How DARE they replace me with an animal!" Sarel screamed viciously. "I, the greatest Hunter of my generation--"

"That was bested by one Thaldorn Rhiantha while he was still but a child. He is more like us than you could ever hope to be, Sarel!" a dwarf wearing an eyepatch reminded the former chieftain.

"HE IS AN ANIMAL, KAMALEI!" Sarel raged at the dwarven Thorn Fist with a jealous fury. "NOTHING MORE!"

Thaldorn had heard enough.

With a ferocious roar of unbridled rage, he launched himself at his former mentor, the Thornstave of Aslaran striking Sarel in the throat before he had a chance to react.

"Go on. Kill me. Kill me and you will join me in death!" Sarel laughed as blood pooled forth from his mouth. "Killing a Thorn Fist is a lifetime of exile!"

"Killing a former chieftain is a death sentence!"

Thaldorn froze for a second.

Seizing the moment of opportunity, Sarel kicked at Thaldorn's legs, causing him to stumble. Deftly catching a spear one of his men tossed him, Sarel attacked with fury.

"Gorillas are animals too, Thaldorn! Did you forget?!" Sarel taunted.

The scene rapidly changes. A red haze envelops the stage.

Sarel can be seen still, though he looked as if one were peering through a foggy glass the colour of blood.

A maddening, gutteral snarl rumbles throughout the area, the scene now being shown through the eyes of the raging chieftain as a phrase continues to repeat itself again and again.

He is just an animal, nothing more!

He is just an animal, nothing more!

He is just an animal, nothing more!

"A beast is always feral, always an animal--" Sarel continued, a malevolent smile on his lips.

Thaldorn released his grip on the ceremonial staff of the Hunters, quickly switching to his favoured weapon.

A second, more voracious and rage-induced snarl reverberated loudly as a spear was thrust out towards the tribe's former leader.

The sneer that Sarel wore was immediately replaced by shock as the Thornstave of Aslarn clattered noisily to the ground, the head of a spear thrust deep into his exposed chest.

"I will suffer the consequences of my actions this day," Thaldorn's voice thundered as Sarel collapsed to the ground, his face frozen in death.

Then complete darkness...

"Chieftain Thaldorn Rhiantha!" a voice proclaimed as the darkness gives way to the scene of a great hall. Thaldorn, shackled from hand to foot, stands before the Council of the Thorn Fists.

"You are guilty of the murder of your predecessor, Chieftain Sarel Lionguard, is that correct?" a figure seated higher than the others questioned Thaldorn.

"Aye, Judge," Thaldorn answered truthfully. Lanivara can be heard sobbing quietly nearby.

"Then your punishment is clear," the judge continued, though his eyes betrayed the coldness of his voice. 

The one chosen to preside over this trial was none other than the loboshigaru who had raised Lanivara.

Nicolae Bel'Myrrdin.

He glanced down at Thaldorn apologetically before his judgment was cast.

"Death."

"NO!" Lanivara screamed as she frantically attempted to reach Thaldorn. A large group of guardsmen barred her path.

"Let his wife go," ordered Nicolae. Lanivara nearly ran through the guards who were now trying to move aside to allow her passage.

"You big oaf!" Lanivara teared up, smacking Thaldorn in the head before hugging him tightly.

"If you would forgive the interruption," Aaseth, the one Thaldorn bested to pass his Trials of Entry into the Hunters, spoke up suddenly.

With an eyebrow raised, Nicolae swiveled his head in Aaseth's direction.

"Aye, Syr Aaseth?" the judge prompted. Aaseth cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Judge. I may be remembering wrong, however... is it not written into our laws that the Thorn Fists may cast a vote to lessen a setence of death?" Aaseth implored.

A murmur could be heard from around the room.

Nicolae nodded. "Aye. We have such a law. It can only be invoked if the guilty party wishes it."

Every eye in the room immediately shifted over to Thaldorn expectantly.

"No one ever wants to die, man or beast," Thaldorn responded before looking down at his wife who was now at his side. "I will place my fate in the hands of my brethren. What they decide will be my sentence."

"A sentence of death can only be lessened to one of complete exile from Jojobo," Nicolae added, his tone one of sincere remorse. "Do you still wish to proceed?"

Lanivara's tear-streaked face gazed up at Thaldorn.

"I will return to you, my love. This I swear," Thaldorn whispered to her before looking back at Nicolae.

"I will my fate to the judgment of the Thorn Fists, Syr Nicolae," Thaldorn declared. The judge nodded.

"Then it shall be so. Thorn Fists, I will give you a day to delibera--"

"Forgive me judge. My decision is already made," Kamalei Ironhammer cut in, the first of the Thorn Fists to speak.

"Due to his undying loyalty to the Hunters of the Thorned Vines, his diligence and dedication as a Thorn Fist and his unparalleled service to us as a member of our tribe, I cannot in good conscience sentence one such as he to death, be he man or beast," Kamalei proclaimed, drawing the attention of all.

"I thusly cast my vote now. Exile."

"I too have made my decision. Exile," another chimed in.

One by one, the other twelve remaining Thorn Fists cast their votes, deciding the fate of one of their own.

"The Thorn Fists have spoken!" Nicolae declared as Thaldorn and Lanivara embraced.

"Chieftain Thaldorn Rhiantha, your destiny is sealed. You will be cast out of Jojobo at the rising of the sun. Until that time comes, you will be placed under arrest and confined to your home," Nicolae said. 

Thaldorn nodded in gratitude to both Nicolae and his fellow Thorn Fists as Lanivara gently grabbed his hand.

Kamalei stood once more and faced Thaldorn with the sacred salute of the Thorn Fists: fists crossed above his chest, the thorns facing outwards.

The rest of the elite group followed suit, bidding a final farewell to their brother-in-arms.

Thaldorn returned the gesture with pride. A single tear can be seen rolling down his cheek as the stage darkens.

"I will find a way to return to you, my dearest. I swear it."

The entrance of the Chieftain's abode fades into view where Thaldorn and Lanivara stood, their last moments together drawing to a close.

"I will hold you to that oath, Mister Thornfist," Lanivara sniffed, her head on his chest.

Thaldorn could not help but chuckle.

Even as his wife, Lanivara still called him by the nickname she gave him from time to time.

"I sincerely apologise, Chieftain. It is time for us to leave."

Thaldorn nodded his head at Kamalei. The Thorn Fists were charged with bringing him to where he was to be cast out of Jojobo forever.

"Let us go then, Syr Kamalei," Thaldorn replied, descending the steps before the place that had been his home for the last four years.

He glanced back at his wife one final time.

"I will find my way back to you, my dearest love. This I promise," Thaldorn called to her as the Thorn Fists led him away.

"I will find a way!"

As the scene begins to fade, the view shifts to Lanivara, whose eyes begin to fill with tears.

"Come back to me, Thaldorn!"

The scene descends into darkness as the voice of Alarin Stormcrow echoes throughout the room.

ALARIN: Setenced to exile, Thaldorn was cast out of the jungle forever.

ALARIN: What will become of him? Where will he find himself next? The story of Thaldorn and Lanivara will continue soon!

THALDORN: Hop to it, you slacker!

ALARIN: Three...

ALARIN: Two...

ALARIN: One...

A loud ***THWAP!*** can be heard from backstage.

THALDORN: OW! QUIT HITTING ME, WOMAN!

LANIVARA: ...did you just WOMAN me, Mister Thornfist?!

The sound of heavy feet rapidly retreating can be heard from the backstage area.

LANIVARA: YOU GET BACK HERE! I WILL SHOW YOU WOMAN, YOU GIANT OAF!

THALDORN: Oi! Put the stick down!

ALARIN: He never learns. Until next time, everyone!

The scene fades to black one last time as the silhouette of Thaldorn and Lanivara re-appear briefly before they too are gone.