Exile or death. That choice was the only one you had these days if you committed a crime no matter how slight and her's really wasn't slight but she was still offered the same choice, death or exile which was as good as death and not surprising anyone most chose exile beyond the great wall rather than the headsmen's axe and she was no different. The job had seemed a little too good to be true but her fence had been offered more gold than a hundred heists to turn her in so the first she knew of the betrayal was a burly guard almost triple her weight and size slamming her into a wall.
"Kyndra Nasette, you are hereby found guilty of common thievery and by your choice shall face exile til the end of your days." The sound of the gavel still rang in her ears even as she was dragged sullenly from the high hall of the inquisitors, she was bound, gagged, then knocked unconscious with a leather blackjack. Perhaps in a way it was a small mercy she'd not really have time to mull over her fate.
She was given a rather undignified awakening by a thankfully small bucket of water been thrown in her face and it was at this moment she realised where she was: The great wall itself. Whilst there were many stories surrounding it, no-one really knew the truth of it, the wall itself was vast in both height and length easily able to dwarf the spire of the imperial palace and spanning some one hundred miles in each direction splitting the known world from the unknown. The outer face was even more puzzling as the wall itself was built onto a sheer cliff face that itself was so high it was often thick with the swirls of low hanging clouds.
Her bonds were cut and the gag removed for what little comfort that provided as she was pushed along from behind winding through the vast interior of the wall itself, three lefts, five rights, two flights down she eventually lost track until she felt herself walking on a downward slope a long, slim tunnel which then opened up at the bottom of the wall but the top of the cliff it was then she realised just how they exiled the exiles.
A rather rickety looking cage and a set of winches sat on the overhang as a balding man who looked as if he'd rather be anywhere but here approached her, looking her up and down as if deciding how long she'd last before she died down in the vast unknown.
"Well, may the gods 'ave mercy on yer soul lass, as I don't be thinkin' anythin' down there will." As he turned to walk away he turned back handing her a small pack with a single skin of water hanging from it.
"Should be 'nough in there fer a few days.... If'n ye live that long. Into the cage lass, let's be gettin' this here unpleasantness done." With a sigh she shouldered the pack and stepped out into the cage which swayed uncomfortably. The aging guard began winding the wind and she descended into the mist, still in her thieves garb of dark grey leather pants and the tunic which had a large tear in it across her stomach from her struggling during the initial capture, showing off a surprisingly taut set of abs.
She peered over the side but could see little through the mist and even looking up showed nothing anymore, the ropes disappearing into the cloud above her. Time seemed to stretch on and on, the squeak of wheels and rough scrapes of rope and pulley seeming to go on forever until with a thump of iron against rock it seems she had reached the bottom. The sight before her wasn't as bad as she'd expected, a lush verdant jungle at least to her meant there had to be food and water and the lack of bones around the initial area was promising. The sound of those squeaking wheels caused her turn around, the cage was already ascending and had soon disappeared into the seemingly perpetual mist above.
"Well at least it's not a blasted hellscape..." She said to herself trying to see the positives given the negatives were far more numerous, not really seeing any direction being any better or worse than the other she pushed ahead figuring it best to put as much distance between herself and the wall as possible and perhaps seeking shelter to boot. She didn't want to end up becoming lunch for something as she moved with some speed through the dense vegetation.
The sunlight had started to fade when she came across a tree which would offer her a little nook to sleep in for the night with relative safety the humidity and heat having taken their toll she fully downed half of her water without thinking. The small patch of exposed skin across her stomach was beaded with perspiration as she crawled into the hole and tried her level best to get comfortable without a root jabbing into her.
Thinking about her situation was something she was just trying not to do right now, a few days of dried supplies which looked like nothing more than nuts and seeds and a half skin of water to her name save the clothes on her back. Her fingers plucked at the loose threads surrounding the ragged tear in the leather across her stomach as she peered out through the densely packed trunks and choking foliage, realising she was perhaps little exposed she lent out of the small nook, grabbing some ferns and other large leaves and doing a haphazard job of covering the entrance.
The ambient noises were not something she was used to either, more accustomed to cities and large town the unfamiliar calls of wildlife and rustle of trees made her uneasy. The light started to dip further making it impossible to see almost and soon sheer need to recuperate from the shock of being exiled sent Kyndra into a light sleep.
"Kyndra Nasette, you are hereby found guilty of common thievery and by your choice shall face exile til the end of your days." The sound of the gavel still rang in her ears even as she was dragged sullenly from the high hall of the inquisitors, she was bound, gagged, then knocked unconscious with a leather blackjack. Perhaps in a way it was a small mercy she'd not really have time to mull over her fate.
She was given a rather undignified awakening by a thankfully small bucket of water been thrown in her face and it was at this moment she realised where she was: The great wall itself. Whilst there were many stories surrounding it, no-one really knew the truth of it, the wall itself was vast in both height and length easily able to dwarf the spire of the imperial palace and spanning some one hundred miles in each direction splitting the known world from the unknown. The outer face was even more puzzling as the wall itself was built onto a sheer cliff face that itself was so high it was often thick with the swirls of low hanging clouds.
Her bonds were cut and the gag removed for what little comfort that provided as she was pushed along from behind winding through the vast interior of the wall itself, three lefts, five rights, two flights down she eventually lost track until she felt herself walking on a downward slope a long, slim tunnel which then opened up at the bottom of the wall but the top of the cliff it was then she realised just how they exiled the exiles.
A rather rickety looking cage and a set of winches sat on the overhang as a balding man who looked as if he'd rather be anywhere but here approached her, looking her up and down as if deciding how long she'd last before she died down in the vast unknown.
"Well, may the gods 'ave mercy on yer soul lass, as I don't be thinkin' anythin' down there will." As he turned to walk away he turned back handing her a small pack with a single skin of water hanging from it.
"Should be 'nough in there fer a few days.... If'n ye live that long. Into the cage lass, let's be gettin' this here unpleasantness done." With a sigh she shouldered the pack and stepped out into the cage which swayed uncomfortably. The aging guard began winding the wind and she descended into the mist, still in her thieves garb of dark grey leather pants and the tunic which had a large tear in it across her stomach from her struggling during the initial capture, showing off a surprisingly taut set of abs.
She peered over the side but could see little through the mist and even looking up showed nothing anymore, the ropes disappearing into the cloud above her. Time seemed to stretch on and on, the squeak of wheels and rough scrapes of rope and pulley seeming to go on forever until with a thump of iron against rock it seems she had reached the bottom. The sight before her wasn't as bad as she'd expected, a lush verdant jungle at least to her meant there had to be food and water and the lack of bones around the initial area was promising. The sound of those squeaking wheels caused her turn around, the cage was already ascending and had soon disappeared into the seemingly perpetual mist above.
"Well at least it's not a blasted hellscape..." She said to herself trying to see the positives given the negatives were far more numerous, not really seeing any direction being any better or worse than the other she pushed ahead figuring it best to put as much distance between herself and the wall as possible and perhaps seeking shelter to boot. She didn't want to end up becoming lunch for something as she moved with some speed through the dense vegetation.
The sunlight had started to fade when she came across a tree which would offer her a little nook to sleep in for the night with relative safety the humidity and heat having taken their toll she fully downed half of her water without thinking. The small patch of exposed skin across her stomach was beaded with perspiration as she crawled into the hole and tried her level best to get comfortable without a root jabbing into her.
Thinking about her situation was something she was just trying not to do right now, a few days of dried supplies which looked like nothing more than nuts and seeds and a half skin of water to her name save the clothes on her back. Her fingers plucked at the loose threads surrounding the ragged tear in the leather across her stomach as she peered out through the densely packed trunks and choking foliage, realising she was perhaps little exposed she lent out of the small nook, grabbing some ferns and other large leaves and doing a haphazard job of covering the entrance.
The ambient noises were not something she was used to either, more accustomed to cities and large town the unfamiliar calls of wildlife and rustle of trees made her uneasy. The light started to dip further making it impossible to see almost and soon sheer need to recuperate from the shock of being exiled sent Kyndra into a light sleep.