Fantasy Arva: Tides of Darkness [IC] [Closed]

[EdwardDewey98]

"THE SEA?!" Valentina suddenly entered the room, a bottle of brandy in one hand. Relaxed after her time at the bath house. "Oh ho ho! Captain, why didn't you told me that before? I am, as many of you know, a great sailor! And I used to be first mate on many ships across all the Dandolian sea." Valentina sat down near Eidunn, handing the young lady the bottle of brandy. "Help yourself, dear." She then turned her attention to Hughin. "So! Is the otter man the sailor leading us to new glory?" she asked, with a big smile on her jovial face.

 

[joshuadim]

"Supposedly the map he has should give him 'direction' on where to go." Hughin said to Valentina, "But I wouldn't get our hopes up. The job pays well at least."

 

[Adobe]

Eidunn gladly excepted the bottle from Valentina, taking a very hefty swig before placing it back down on the table. It was a daunting thought, trapped in the middle of the ocean for who knows how long. "What's the pay?" She asked, keeping her head down.

 

[joshuadim]

"Three thousand up front, and a portion of the 'spoils' we find."

 

[joshuadim]

The door to the establishment opened to reveal to what appeared to most of the group to be a large brown-skinned orc entering, but to Invira it was a welcome sight of Luva bringing her fixed armor. The large orc approached her and gently handed her the new armor and spoke up: "I fix. No holes. Better leather stitch in now." he said to Invira, pointing to some specific areas of the armor, "It better now."

Zakala soon walked on over to take a look at what Luva did and nodded approvingly. "You always do a good job Luva." The orc only nodded in response as he turned to leave and quickly exited the establishment to make his way back to his workshop. Zakala meanwhile spoke to invira: "Well you ought to get ready then. We're moving soon."

 

[CaptainFizzgig]

The energy in the room was confusing, to say the least. She wasn't the only one nervous but the excitement from some of her comrades was more than a little confusing. Da'Vost seemed confident this place existed while Hughin was still skeptical. Valentina's energy threw another wrench in the works and the back and forth was dizzying, to say the least. Not only that, but they'd be away for months. Could she do that? Was she allowed? Luva delivering her armor was a respite from thinking about it and she followed her fellow demoness eagerly to take it back.

Invira took the leather from Luva, "Thank you, this looks lovely. " She ran her fingers over the stitching, feeling the even bumps on both the right and wrong side of the leather. Luva had cleaned it up as well, much better than she'd had the time to do and it smelled of whatever he'd used to do so. She turned to Zakala, motioning to the simple backpack near where she was sitting, carrying all that she needed. "I have everything I need, so I'm ready. Thank you again for your assistance today."

 

[joshuadim]

"Don't mention it." Zakala said with a smile to Invira, "Just remember where he's at and how to beat his prices and he'll be a great place to fix whatever you need up." Zakala then went back to take a seat and waiting for the go the be given to leave. Hughin meanwhile made his way upstairs and into his lodgings to pack up. He gathered what he would need, such as certain small equipment and other trinkets along with his sword and shield and his armor, putting them all on to prepare for the journey. As he mostly finished up gathering what he needed and stopped to look at his desk in the room, seeing a small necklace with a wooden carved pendant hanging from it. As he took a look at it, he picked up it and stared at the small inscribing on it before closing his eyes. It had quite a sentimental value to him, and so he opted to take it with him as he hung it around his neck.

He then set his pack and weapons aside onto his bed and kneeled onto the wooden floor, letting the silence creep in. "Blessed be the Lord Angor, deliver unto me a safe journey. Blessed be the Lady Zara, deliver unto my company a safe journey. Blessed be the Exarch Jaroh, deliver unto us good travels." he muttered, as he stayed sitting on his knees. "Blessed be the Master Kantis, deliver unto us good fortunes. Blessed be the Stranger Pontis, deliver unto us a good fate." As he finished, he raised his palms into the air before bringing them down towards the floor and then kissed the ground. As he stood up to leave, he took one last look at his now emptied room and sighed. And so it begins. he thought to himself.

Once Hughin returned downstairs, fully geared and equipped, he raised his voice: "Company, we are heading to the docks. Get a move on."

The group collectively gathered themselves and followed Hughin out of the tavern and headed for the docks through the now less crowded streets of Gwell, as evening was rapidly approaching. It didn't take long to reach the docks as a result, and finding the Utterlin vessel was not a difficult matter either: the barge stood out like a sore thumb, both in sheer size as well as in design. It looked nothing like the standard vessels one would see from any normal human realm, but rather this was designed to not only haul huge amounts of cargo, but also to field a massive crew in it as well. As the group boarded, they were greeted by the chittering and constant workings of the crew, all of whom were also Utterlins of varying sizes and colors. Most were busy preparing for the ship to sail, handling ropes and whatnot while nearly a dozen small ones, visibly children, were running about the top deck and playing by skittering across in high speeds.

"Hughie! Glad ta see ya here!" Gerwin called out, walking over to the group from the wheel of the vessel. "Me and me family deliver unto thee our welcomes."

"Hey Gerwin!" Arnas spoke to the Utterlin, "How's the missus?"

"Ah, she be cooking in a fury today. Meals for all aboard the ship once we set sail!" Gerwin said as he chuckled before turning his attention to the group as a whole. "Make yerselves comfortable, get settled, we be sailing wihtin ta hour!" he said to everyone.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Finally, back to water! Not the ocean for now, Gwell is located by the lake after all, but soon I'll see the ocean again! Valentina was filled with excitement. While she was an adventurer, she was mainly still a sailor at heart. Knowing that she'd explore the seas again made her as happy as one can imagine. She followed her people through the city and down to the docks. Typical lake town docks, not impressive. Neither was the ship owned by the little furry guy. A barge? Nothing when compared to a Galleon. Such beautiful ships... but a ship is better than no ship! Once into the barge, she felt right at home. She wanted to ready everything and sail at that very second, but the little furry thing said they'd sail in an hour. And there was a feast waiting for them!

"Good food by the sea? Dear me! Now I truly feel back at home." she said with a smile, while walking across the barge. She noticed that there were no individual rooms, as expected obviously, but several hammocks. Valentina smiled. Wasn't the first time she had to sleep in one, but she usually has someone to rest with. She looked at her companions, before stepping near Ser Waylond with a smile. "Need a hammock partner?" she asked nonchalantly, before giving Pottrey a look. "...Unless your esquire is resting with you. He looks confortable after all, like a nice big pillow."

 

[Dmaster]

Da'Vost shuffled onto the deck with his claws clacking against the wood, arms kept bundled within both of his sleeves that were kept close to his body. The salty air and brisk winds blew his blue feathers about, rippling them in shimmering swells that almost resembled the ocean waves their vessel was floating upon. The Fateseeker was deeply intrigued by the community of Utterlins living on this vessel, seeing some similarities to how his own kin operated within their spires.

"I thank you for the hospitality." the Aervis chirps lowly with a bow, looking to Gerwin. He wasn't very used to being on a barge this size, though he often found himself hitching rides on cargo ships to travel in the past. This would be yet another experience to remember, surely. Valentina looked rather excited to be on the ship, and he smiled and gave her a nod as he walked further onto the deck.

 

[Viper Actual]

While not nearly as elegant as the Elven vessels she had the honor of traveling with Eirana was nonetheless impressed by the Utterlin barge. Comparing the barge to an Elf corvette felt unfair as both vessels served completely different purposes and while the barge might lack the speed and elegance of an Elf ship Eirana did not doubt that it would be much more apt at protecting its crew and cargo from dangers at sea.
Upon hearing Gerwin's greeting Eirana bowed her head out of respect though soon enough the Elf was distracted by the Utterlin children. A smile formed upon her face and her features softened.

It didn't take long for some of the Utterlin children to notice her as well and Eirana knelt down to greet them as they bombarded her with questions. She laughed and tried to answer them as best as she could before extending one of her hands. Slowly, at the center of her palm, a beautiful flower formed out of sheer light. A simple spell really but for the Utterlins it would surely be impressive.

 

[Breadman]

"He stays on his own hammock." Waylond responded to Valentina. Pottray in the meantime was busy carrying and moving the gear around. The knight glanced to his cousin "Rather avoid awkwardness between family. and frankly, his hygiene is lacking. Something we have to work on still." He turned back to his colleague "I have to admit however, I don't exactly have my sea legs. Could use some help with that."

 

[joshuadim]

The Utterlin younglings near Eirana squealed in excitement at seeing such a display of rudimentary magic and sat around her as if they were children listening to a campfire story. They were expectantly waiting for something else to happen as they watched the elf with big eyes, all the while Gerwin was watching from a distance and chuckled. "Heh, the yung'uns always like a light show. Entertainment for 'em as we sail." he said to Hughin, was was standing nearby. The company leader turned to look as well and also gave a chuckle, "Kids are already a handful. I don't know how you deal with a horde of them." Hughin replied.

"Hah! T'is the job of there mum and thar older sisters ta keep 'em occupied. I'm busy with ta barge as ye can tell." the Utterlin captain responded as he laughed. "Come now, you ought to make yerself comfy down below. Find a good ammock, yes?"

"You don't need to tell me twice on that." Hughin replied as he took the stairs to head below deck. The ship was massive enough to have four decks underneath, the lower two reserved for cargo while the upper two for sleeping areas, the kitchen, and for anything else that would be needed for what is practically a floating community. By this point, Zakala had already claimed a hammock of her own near the back of the room while Hughin chose one near the doorway for easy convenience. As he settled in, Zakala then spoke up: "Do you really trust Gerwin to sail those waters?" she asked with a blank look to him.

"I trust him as a sailor." Hughin replied as he set his pack and materials underneath his hammock, but Zakala wasn't satisfied with such an answer. "That's not what I meant, Hughin." the demoness said, her tone growing more annoyed.

"Well what would you have me do then?" Hughin spoke as he turned to face his lieutenant, "Turn down a job with such pay like this? I have an obligation to get people paid here."

"You also have an obligation for their safety. For Arnas' safety."

Hughin was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "You worry too much."

"That's precisely why you keep me around." Zakala retorted as she laid down in her hammock to relax. Hughin only grunted as he turned to head for the top deck of the barge.

---
​

As Da'Vost walked further along, he felt a small presence follow along as one of the Utterlin younglings walked a small distance behind him. The little one was quite fascinated at seeing an Aervis, but was quite afraid to approach him.

Aureal would also be investigated by a few of the younglings as they scurried around and near him. "I neva seen a point-ear before!" one of them squeaked as they continued to skittered around the elf. "Elf! Not point-ear, elf!" the other squeaked.

 

[Dmaster]

The Uttelrin's approach was not without Da'Vost's notice, as the old bird was quite perceptive even when it came to those without any magical auras. Carefully he stopped his walking before he turned on his claws, finally moving his hands from his robes as he crouched down to look at the small Utterlin that had been shadowing him. His wrists rest upon his knees, those clawed hands loosely hanging to show that he could not possibly harm the little otter-being.

"May I assist you, little one?" the Aervis asks with a croon, head tilting back slightly as his neck micro-adjusts and swivels to look upon him at various angles. As he did so he caught himself looking at Eirana dazzle the younglings with magic, prompting him to smirk as he thought of a similar idea himself. Looking to the curious otter before him he rolled the wrist of his right hand in a circular motion, fingers twisting as they gather energy and take the shape of a familiar blue ball of flame. He allows it to linger for a time, the Aervis lowering it closer to the Uttelrin so that they may feel the strange aura that the Aether exudes. Da'Vost's second hand cradles the flame before touching it harmlessly, both palms coming together to shape the energy into an ordinary ball of snow. With a smile, the Fateseeker presents the ball of perfectly white ice-shards to the child.

 

[joshuadim]

Unlike most of the other Utterlin children, the one that had now approached Da'Vost was clearly different than the others in that she was much smaller than all the others. But more striking than that was her purple irises, which was much more different than the standard light or dark brown of not only her siblings but the rest of the folk aboard the ship. As she watched Da'Vost's show of magic, she remained quietly situated as she watched intently before being handed over the now conjured snow. She took the ball and looked at it curiously before holding it out with outstretched arms and squinted at it as if she was focusing.

A few quiet moments passed as the little one strained for a bit, and it seemed as if she was trying to imitate Da'Vost in some way. Yet as it seemed to be a cute re-enactment, the snowball wiggled a bit on its own without any input onto it.

 

[Auda]

Aureal's excitement died down when he realized that they're going to journey through the sea. He knew there was something about the barge that he saw when he first step foot in this town. The thought of willingly putting their lives in the mercy of the vast body of water with its unimaginable horrors filled the his stomach with dread. Looking around, he can see that his companions doesn't share his sentiments, some are even ecstatic. The wood-elf steeled himself, muttered a quick prayer to all the Gods who could hear him, and made his way to the ship with the others.

This is not so bad. The sight of utterlins working away to prepare the ship for travel and the little ones chasing each other in a game of tag calmed Aureal down. The barge itself, oddly enough, also provided the elf with some comfort. Its sheer size offers protection from the all-consuming sea and the large amount of food awaiting them caught his eyes.

As he was walking towards the feast, he was interrupted by a group of small utterlins from earlier. They surrounded him and started asking questions from what his name is to the pointed ears attached on his head, not giving him any time to answer as they bombard him with more questions. The small burst of magic and the sound of excitement alerted Aureal. Looking around, he can see that he's not the only one who's being mobbed. The Aervis called upon the power of the Aether to form a snow ball and handed it to them. The sight of the flame turning in another form also entranced Aureal for the Aether being used was rarely seen by the wood-elf. The High-elf on the other hand, formed a beautifully made flower on her hands, dazzling the utterlins. Aureal was a little hesitant in approaching her at first. Their race never got along in the first place with their ethnocentric behavior. Though, she seemed different, nicer in a way. Looking back to his own group of rascals, he can see them look up to him with expectation in their eyes. Aureal was never the one to back down in the face of competition, especially one with magic involved. Asking the utterlins to close their eyes, he prepared an illusion like an amateur magician. Grass started to appear on his feet and bundles of different colored flowers surrounds them. The illusionist also settled on conjuring up a kaleidoscope of butterflies to surround the utterlins and a good 'ol rainbow to finish it all. He then asked them to open their eyes so they can see his made-up piece of nature.

 

[Viper Actual]

Eirana smiled as her flower captivated her young audience. She narrowed her eyes and soon enough the flower began to grow in size. After doubling its size the flower opened to reveal a bumblebee made out of pure light- much like the flower itself. "Watch," said the Elf with a soft voice while nodding towards one of the masts. The bumblebee left the comfort of Eirana's palm and launched itself into the air before setting course for the mast.

Upon reach the mast the bee began to glow as it transformed into a new flower. This new flower developed vines and smaller flowers of its own which were now covering the mast while Da'Vost and Aureal carried out their own tricks in the background. Eirana smiled as she saw what Aureal was doing and decided to help out. A swarm of tiny lights were unleashed from the cluster of mast-flowers which took flight and homed in for the wood elf's illusion where they landed perfectly on each and every flower, creating glowing cores upon them.

Eirana motioned for the utterlins in front of her to go investigate and as they went she nodded towards Aureal and Da'Vost.

 

[Adobe]

Eidunn sat ontop of a rather large crate she had spied out, letting her feet dangle off the edge. Eida, those are some very intriguing memory, not surprised you aren't fond off chil- "Fuck off." She muttered under her breath, laying down across the top of her perch. "I said stop poking around, I can feel you." The slight tinges of pain faded from the corners of her head, causing Eidunn to let out a loud sigh of relief.

The soft glow coming from the corner of her eye marked the crescendo of Eiranas show. She tilted her head to the side, looking over the harbour, watching as a rather old fishing boat gently floated past the bardge, disappearing from her sight. Hopefully they'd find whatever they were looking for, because she definitely didn't want to be stranded at sea, especially with a bunch of children.

 

[Dmaster]

Da'Vost looks at the child rather inquisitively, head tilting upward in some surprise yet quickly adjusting back to his view. Before he could get a better handle on just what the source of the new magic he felt was, there was some interference in the form of Eirana's illusory magic drawing nearer. With a slight frown he stared more intently at the Utterlin as they focused on the snowball, noting how the ball's surface was moving all on its own as the magical disturbance he felt became clearer. The child was a budding magic-user!

He stood up from his hunched position as the child tried to mess with the snowball, practically beaming. "Ah, so perhaps there is something I can help you with." he chirrups, dusting his robes gently. "You may not only be curious in me for my appearance, but you may sense the Aether upon me as well. How incredible...!" The Fateseeker put a knuckle to his beak, thinking quickly as he calmed down. This journey ahead of them did promise to be rather long...

"What is your name, child? May you wish to study magic with me?"

 

[joshuadim]

Aureal's magic did wonders for his group as they all chattered and looked around in wonderment at what had been created, as if a scene from a forest had sprouted out of seemingly nothing which struck them with awe. By this point, some of the older Utterlin workers aboard the ship stalled in their tasks to look on and talk among each other about what was transpiring. Eirana's small crowd would also be transfixed on her new showing as the main mast was seemingly taken over by various flowers and vines and releasing their own lights to join with Aureal's magics. With prompting from the she-elf, the younglings with her now scampered off towards Aureal's show to take a look.

The now combined group of younglings were practically surrounding the elf in a large group as Hughin made his way topside and looked around. "What in the hells..." he muttered, seeing the displays of magics going on. Before he could speak out however, he was cut short by Gerwin's loud voice cutting through the air: "Finish up! We need ta leave tanight!" he called out to the workers, "An' dun tern me ship into a forest!" That last statement was directed towards both Eirana and Aureal as the two of them were entertaining the young ones. The workers immediately made headway back in their work to finish up with the ropes and cargo and whatnot as Gerwin grunted.

Meanwhile, Da'Vost was with the lone child as he talked with her. She nodded at the Aervis' first comment before speaking up: "Lanya." she said with a quiet voice, "I... I dunnae if me pa will allow..." She seemed quite meek and rather shy, and Gerwin took notice as he walked on over. "Lanya, why are ye not with yer sibs?" he asked gently, kneeling down to her. "Everythin' alright?"

 

[Dmaster]

Assessing the situation, the towering Fateseeker looked down at the two Utterlin with a twisting mouth just behind his beak. He had to think on his words carefully so as not to impose. Did Gerwin even know that his daughter was gifted with sorcery?

"Everything is quite fine, Gerwin. Though I wish to bring attention to a latent talent that Lanya possesses." the bird starts, looking to her with a nod of reassurance. "She is a sorcerer. I could help refine her ability during my stay here. She seems quite curious and willing to invest in the study of magic."

 

[joshuadim]

"Wha?" Gerwin said as he looked to his daughter and then back to Da'Vost, "Impossible, our kind ain't the magic using type. Her eyes mey be blessed by Octis, but I dunnae think ta go that far."

 

[Dmaster]

The bird looked to Lenya, almost beckoning her with a hand to show her father what she had just did with the snowball in her hands. Da'Vost shook his head at Gerwin's words, hoping that the little Utterlin could muster up the ability to move the snow again.

"I assure you that she does possess the gift. Those with magic can see others that have it as well." he explains. "These are not the claims of an old bird, believe me. I live in magic, have studied it for years. I am not lying or delusional."

 

[Fighting Monk]

'This is a bad idea-a VERY bad idea' Krasso thought to himself as he wandered down the docks garnering the eyes of more than a few passerby. It wasn't often that anyone saw a Satyr in their traditional priestly vestments, especially since so few actually owned them. The bells entwined in his tunic's tassels rang with each step in unison with beads and bones that littered his outfit. A faint of harmony could be heard that evoked a sort of beauteous dread in the listener.. It an ancient tune whose meaning was lost to time yet the priests kept it in the assumption that it carried some sort of ritual importance. Sticking with tradition his face and body was covered in various markings and ritual tattoos for the journey. When he told his fellow priests of what was to occur they agreed to provide him with the best protection they could offer, once they got over their initial shock and outrage of course.

On his back he had with him four casks of wine he hoped would last a little while and in his arm two kid goats just to be sure he had a sacrifice ready should the winds turn against them. He of course was still panicking inwardly as he had not anticipated that he'd meet his end at sea, much less in search of Nysieon. Nearing the ship he began to sing a prayer in his native tongue in hopes that the winds would take note of his piety.

[Lords of the air and sky
look down from on high
on a son of the setting sun,
whose light will always run.
Favor us on our path
and save us from Evil's wrath.
Guide us to the land of Pantheós.
So that our children may sing
and the bells finally ring
that we may return home
and no longer be forced to roam.]

He concluded his prayer as he stepped foot onto the boat, throwing down some salt as he did so. "One foot onto the vessel and I already can tell this was a bad idea." The knots in his stomach were already becoming a nuisance and they hadn't even started moving! This was going to be a long journey...

 

[joshuadim]

With reassurance from Da'Vost, Lanya excitedly extended her hand with the ball of snow and tried again as she visibly strained her face in attempting something to happen like before. Gerwin meanwhile was quiet as he looked between the two and shook his head. "I dunnae know what ta say." he then said with a bit of hesitation. "My daughter... a sorcerer? I thought it impossible." As he returned his attention to his daughter, he noticed that the snowball had in fact changed from its current form into a small, fat disk of sorts with a thick peak on both the top and bottom. She held up her hands to her father with excitement and a bounce to her step, the latter only staring in amazement at such a display. "Well, I be damned..." he muttered as he kneeled down to Lanya and pinched her cheeks in joy. "Me own pup, a sorcerer!" he spoke with a grin before turning an attention to Da'Vost, "I suppose ye can help 'er. I'll compensate ye if need be."

Meanwhile, Hughin was observing everything that had been occurring topside. The show that some members of his company were putting on for the children was a good bit of fun, but he also saw that the older Utterlins were preparing hastily for their departure and they were very near to finishing so. Arnas had taken the initiative to help them out with whatever need be in his excitement to get out to sea as he wrapped some rope around a cleat to secure it. He also happened to notice Krasso arriving with two goats, much to the man's surprise and approached the Satyr. "Krasso... do you really need to bring these aboard the ship?" he asked.

 

[Fighting Monk]

Krasso looked at his captain with a mix of surprise and horror as he felt his stomach churn once more from the ever so slight sway of the ship. "Do I need them? Why of course I do! What else will I use to sate the damned winds should they turn against us. I may drink a lot...and have an unending appetite...and be in unfathomable debt...and be barred from most establishments of ill repute but dammit I'm still a priest and that gives me some clout with these damnable lords of the sky!" he said briefly shaking his fist into the air and looking menacingly at passing clouds.

"Besides, should we not need them for sacrifice we can always use them for milk. See one's a billy and the other a nanny he said holding up the goats to his captain. Can't be too prepared in these trying times captain." he said with a degree of exaggeration