Fantasy Tales of Nymserine

[BugDozer73]

The world is old and young, and mild and fresh. After many ages, many songs and stories, we find ourselves in yet another knot in destinies threads. Adventurers oblivious to the grand designs of the gods, crossing paths, that they may serve the will of the universe together, and perhaps share a few laughs.

 

[BugDozer73]

There was a small breeze causing his hair to brush gently, and annoyingly over his eyes and nose and brow. With a stiff sputtering and wrinkle of his nose, the man slowly opened his eyes, and wiped them.

He laid splayed on his back, and before him was the rising stocks of the the long grass, buzzing with the sounds of insects and the same breeze that had harassed him awake. Beyond them was the sky, blue and clear. Two clouds played tag before him, shifting and sliding across his vision.

When he rose to his elbows, propped up, he had to stop and wince at the stiffness that had settled into him. Serves me right for falling asleep in a field, he thought to himself. He quickly swept the dirt and pollen off his brow and shoulders. The back oh his hand was scared slightly, a discolored slash continuing over the back of three of his fingers. His brow wrinkled... How did he get that scar? However, his eyes went a little further down the hand he was now inspecting, and saw a small inky black tentacle dipping beneath his navy blue wrist cuff.
Sitting up completely, he reached over and pulled back the suede leather, and found a spiraling tentacle curling down his flesh, approaching his torso. That was new too..

Speaking of things he couldn't remember.. how did he get here in the field anyways? And where was this here? Rising to his knees, then his feet, he took in more of his surroundings. Over the soft crown of the grass expanded rolling fields with shifting shadows passing over, mirroing the drifting clouds he had amused himself with earlier. Off in the distance was the glittering expanse of blue he quickly recognized as the ocean, but no relief filled him from it. Which ocean it was, he had no idea.

Close to the water, was a large city, with white blue and gold buildings. From this distance he could not hear the bustling of the people, but the crowds were visible from where he stood. He could see a sea of people milling around the gates to the city, with animals pulling carts, and stalls/venders calling to them. Large banners of blue rippled in the sea breeze over many building, next to empty brass braziers.. Still nothing came to his mind.

Even more terrifying was the sudden realization that struck his mind.

whats my name?

dazzling ghosthouse

 

[Melon Bomb]

A harmony of calm winds, soothing birdsong, and soft golden rays graced the road to Meletus. Nestled comfortably in a wooden cradle, a young fae woman rubbed the sleep from eyes and awoke with fluttering lids to a new time of day. With a deep yawn and stretch she pulled herself upright, her lucent wings flickering briefly at her back. She didn't remember falling asleep, but on a day as nice as this, who could blame her? Smacking her lips a few times to alleviate some of the dryness, she carefully climbed out of the cart and met with solid earth beneath her feet. There, she stood a moment with her hand on the wooden carriage, still half-asleep as she basked in the light.

Ah. Life is good.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Wait a minute.

Vie's eyes shot open and she suddenly hunched over, her gaze drawn expectantly to the cart. Uh. . . where's the horse? WHERE'S THE HORSE!? Her daydream shattered and her brain rapidly began firing with all kinds of panic signals, like it just caught fire and she didn't have a bucket on hand. She lifted the snapped harness with a quivering hand, indulging in her melodrama for a second longer before letting it drop limp. The trees and the fields were a blur around her, swiveling her head around for just a sweet glimpse of precious brown fur - but there was nothing. Of course there was nothing, idiot. How long was she asleep? An hour? Two hours? God forbid, three hours? That mare was long gone, probably riding off into the sunset somewhere. If there was a wall nearby, she'd bang her head on it. Okay. Okay. Okay. I can fix this.

Hurrying around to the back, she gave the cargo a good push. No luck. Taking a deep breath, she repositioned herself and propped her shoulder into the rear, letting out a rolling warcry as she heaved her weight into the thing. The wood audibly strained and her free hand dug into handle as though she were trying to crush it, shoving and shoving both physically and also maybe a little bit with her mind (you never know).

Not an inch. By the gods, this thing was like a statue! Gasping in defeat, she dropped onto her behind and panted, flexing her fingers a few times. This wasn't going to work. Maybe she should just give up--

"You thought you WON!?" Vie leaped back up and rammed the cart with all her might like it was her greatest adversary, her boots digging into the dirt sliding back over and over again. The oaken vehicle groaned underneath, she slowly started to feel something give. Yes! Be defeated-- The wheel jolted forward, as did the cart, her hand slipped and her shoulder lost its support against it.

Basically, she fell face first and ate a whopping mouthful of dirt.

"PWEH! Pweh, pweh!" Agitatedly, the fairy propped herself up on her elbows and spat chunks of mud off to the side, wiping away clumps from clothes. "Whyyyy. . ." she groaned to herself, feebly punching the ground as she cursed the deity of wooden carts. "Why me?" Needless to say, this wasn't exactly the hero's life she envisioned herself in when she first set off on her adventure.

Underneath, she could feel a slight tremor running across the road. And slowly, something washed over the earthen musk of dirt caked on her face. Brushing some of it away with her forearm, she grabbed the edge of the cart and hoisted herself up back to her feet, sniffing out the scent of. . . perfume? She turned around and in the distance, spotted another cart - one led by a pair of oxen. Vie blinked and something else appeared in her vision. A small figure rising from the grass, in the fields further down. A person?

Whatever the case, that meant could only mean one thing.

"Hey!" The fairy jumped up, waving her arms wildly. "Hey! Over here! I could use some help! Please!"


BugDozer73

 

[BugDozer73]

A harmony of calm winds, soothing birdsong, and soft golden rays graced the road to Meletus. Nestled comfortably in a wooden cradle, a young fae woman rubbed the sleep from eyes and awoke with fluttering lids to a new time of day. With a deep yawn and stretch she pulled herself upright, her lucent wings flickering briefly at her back. She didn't remember falling asleep, but on a day as nice as this, who could blame her? Smacking her lips a few times to alleviate some of the dryness, she carefully climbed out of the cart and met with solid earth beneath her feet. There, she stood a moment with her hand on the wooden carriage, still half-asleep as she basked in the light.

Ah. Life is good.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Wait a minute.

Vie's eyes shot open and she suddenly hunched over, her gaze drawn expectantly to the cart. Uh. . . where's the horse? WHERE'S THE HORSE!? Her daydream shattered and her brain rapidly began firing with all kinds of panic signals, like it just caught fire and she didn't have a bucket on hand. She lifted the snapped harness with a quivering hand, indulging in her melodrama for a second longer before letting it drop limp. The trees and the fields were a blur around her, swiveling her head around for just a sweet glimpse of precious brown fur - but there was nothing. Of course there was nothing, idiot. How long was she asleep? An hour? Two hours? God forbid, three hours? That mare was long gone, probably riding off into the sunset somewhere. If there was a wall nearby, she'd bang her head on it. Okay. Okay. Okay. I can fix this.

Hurrying around to the back, she gave the cargo a good push. No luck. Taking a deep breath, she repositioned herself and propped her shoulder into the rear, letting out a rolling warcry as she heaved her weight into the thing. The wood audibly strained and her free hand dug into handle as though she were trying to crush it, shoving and shoving both physically and also maybe a little bit with her mind (you never know).

Not an inch. By the gods, this thing was like a statue! Gasping in defeat, she dropped onto her behind and panted, flexing her fingers a few times. This wasn't going to work. Maybe she should just give up--

"You thought you WON!?" Vie leaped back up and rammed the cart with all her might like it was her greatest adversary, her boots digging into the dirt sliding back over and over again. The oaken vehicle groaned underneath, she slowly started to feel something give. Yes! Be defeated-- The wheel jolted forward, as did the cart, her hand slipped and her shoulder lost its support against it.

Basically, she fell face first and ate a whopping mouthful of dirt.

"PWEH! Pweh, pweh!" Agitatedly, the fairy propped herself up on her elbows and spat chunks of mud off to the side, wiping away clumps from clothes. "Whyyyy. . ." she groaned to herself, feebly punching the ground as she cursed the deity of wooden carts. "Why me?" Needless to say, this wasn't exactly the hero's life she envisioned herself in when she first set off on her adventure.

Underneath, she could feel a slight tremor running across the road. And slowly, something washed over the earthen musk of dirt caked on her face. Brushing some of it away with her forearm, she grabbed the edge of the cart and hoisted herself up back to her feet, sniffing out the scent of. . . perfume? She turned around and in the distance, spotted another cart - one led by a pair of oxen. Vie blinked and something else appeared in her vision. A small figure rising from the grass, in the fields further down. A person?

Whatever the case, that meant could only mean one thing.

"Hey!" The fairy jumped up, waving her arms wildly. "Hey! Over here! I could use some help! Please!"


BugDozer73

After about 15 minutes, the cart riding down the street pulled up beside her. Inside this old oak cart were exotic color silks of all kinds, and the smell of sweet perfumes and strong incense was palpable. The cart was pulled by two strong oxen, and at the reigns was an old woman of sorts. An elf, but covered in wrinkles. He long grey hair was pulled back into a neat bun, tucked under a woven sun hat. Her clothes were like a lot of local Meletus peoples: A very breathable white cotton shirt and blue and yellow overalls, with a pair of worn boots strapped to her feet. One of her eyes was permanently closed.

"Eeh? Well then, whats all this about, uh?" She crooned into the little girl standing next to a cart full of fruit, expanding her one good eye to really take in the scene before her.

Melon Bomb

 

[ghosthouse]

Elysant Pherein
​

For the past day Elysant found herself enraptured by a strange city, one that opened itself to the ocean and embraced the world's travelers, becoming a stage for spectacle and storytelling at all hours. She had arrived from the jungle's depths covered in insect bites and peculiar rashes, having braved a journey north from Lake Rhea alone for the past fortnight. Drained of her resources Meletus arrived as a welcomed refuge; likewise, her wariness of city-folk waned for the sake of rest and appeasing her bubbling curiosity. Despite the stone buildings of civilization and the noise of its people she could never get rid of the smell and taste of salt from the sea, and the lapping of the waves continuously settled into the background, making for an atmosphere Elysant thought more pleasant than usual.

Her stay so far was short, consisting only of some light wandering, filling her stomach, and resting at an inn that offered cheap rooms with minimal bugs - or so she had hoped so. Never had the wood elf been so eager to recuperate in modern trappings rather than spend the night in nature, which is where she felt most at home. However now she was once again anxious to explore and planned on leaving Meletus soon, although she first felt compelled to investigate the surrounding area. Always she held a belief in her heart that there existed many mysteries waiting to be discovered, but they cannot be found unless they are first sought after . Therefore, it became her passion to scour Nymserine, dreaming of her next fantastic encounter.

Elysant, not long after leaving the city, wandered from the path by foot, taking in her surroundings with a mesmerized look. The land itself was beautiful, hosting a variety of life that she studied eagerly. As the clouds drifted across the sky she picked at plants and observed animals, soon leading her to watch an event that had her balling her hands into tight fists and biting her lower lip all for the sake of not erupting with laughter. On the road to Meletus, not too far from from her spot in the fields, a stationary cart with no horse acted as a bed for a girl, one who erupted into fine rage upon awakening. Elysant watched from afar as the poor thing struggled with the cart, but once the unfortunate event of her falling face-down into the Earth it was over - Elysant burst out in loud, jovial laughter. Once she began it was too difficult to stop and her laughter seemed to echo off the ocean itself as she bent over, grasping at her sides that killed her with the "laughter-cramps".

 

[Melon Bomb]

She stopped? She stopped.

Vie straightened out her back and cleared her throat, hand to her chest. "Ah. Well, y'see, the. . . I, um. . . the cart. . . the cart was. . . uh. . ." The fairy looked over her shoulder. "The horse vanished. Really, I just looked away for a second and poof, it ran off like the wind!" she lied, crossing her arms and nodding her head. "Horses, am I right? Could've happened to anyone."

While she could tell her the truth, she more often found that people had little pity for idiots these days - WHICH SHE DEFINITELY WASN'T - so no harm done, right? Right.

"We could, um. . . oh, you know what we could do? We could totally tie my cart to your cart! Yeah, those oxes look pretty strong!" Whoa, that was actually a good idea just now. I must be some kind of genius, she thought, ignoring the fact that this lady had in no way shape or form agreed to help her. Then, her ears suddenly perked up to a sound in the distance. A strange, echo-y sound she decided she didn't like one bit. Crinkling her nose, she slowly and deliberately began to turn the other way. "It sounds an awful lot. . ." She squinted, zeroing in on the newcomer. ". . . like someone's making fun of me!"


BugDozer73 ghosthouse

 

[BugDozer73]

The woman looked at her warily, not sure if she was serious. “Tie your cart to mine? HAH! HAHA!” She cackled to herself, her small frame wracked with shivers as she recollected herself. “No thanks deary, I’m not interested. Go scam another old lady. You won’t get a septum out of ol’ Miss faylin!” She put a thumb proudly to her chest at that, and topped her hat good day at the green haired sprite. She gave a small whistle and slapped the reigns, and the two oxen mulled loudly before trodding off back down the road, heading for Meletus.

The man in the field looked over, seeing a smaller commotion happening only a few minutes away. A small girl tried hailing down another cart, but the cart was moving in rather quickly. In his own stupor, he began making his way over to the street, to see more of what was happening. Maybe they knew something as to how he has ended up where he was.

 

[dazzling]

Amaryl strolled down the cobblestone pathways, her flaxen hair swishing in sync with the crunch of vegetation under her boots. Looking placidly to her side, the gilded axe she had taken long ago slung on her shoulder. The heavy leather wrapping on the handle dug into her bare shoulder and she swung it down with an irritated sigh. This place was nothing but a landmark to her, pretty scenery to remember and cherish as she continued her journey. The only thing Amaryl would admit that the elves had right was the decades-long disappearances they would make for self discovery. Relaxing into a stroll, she absentmindedly gazed at the leaves floating through the warm breeze. Her surroundings were a haze, as she liked it. God forbid the landscape drew her in and next thing she knew she was making allies- Amaryl shook her head and scoffed in disgust. Though she had no disdain towards the surely lovely people that inhabited the many towns she passed through, she allowed herself no attachments.
The whole purpose of her journey was to find somewhere she took fancy to. After living in the 'paradise' of Aerenal for those cursed years, she was determined to find the perfect place to settle. Usually only allotting a few days to stay and explore, Amaryl hadn't found a place she quite liked yet. The land of Meletus held many promises for her, but she refused to admit her excitement. Reaching back to tie her long hair up, she whipped her head around curiously. Loud noises rang out from ahead and she tilted her head slightly, interest peaked. Speeding up from her leisurely jaunt, she walked more intently towards the scene. Amaryl strode forward, her long legs quickly carrying her into the serene fields.
There, a small pixie pouted angrily, an abandoned cart stationed behind her. Following the fairie's line of sight, she noted a woman riding away. Amaryl had always been fascinated with pixies and decided to see what the apparent issue was. Quietly walking up, she leaned down and asked, "That your cart? I would recommend just leaving it. Not really anybody to help out here."

Melon Bomb​

 

[Melon Bomb]

"Ah! No, w-w-wai-wai-wai-wait, I'm not trying to-- you-- If you just--!" Vie's face shifted between various expressions of pain, regret, and speechlessness as she helplessly watched the lady make off down the road, leaving her in the dust - or dirt, rather. Her wings drooped down in dismay and she let out a long, disgruntled sigh, falling back against the cart and throwing her head back. Stupid old bag of of bones. If she hadn't spent herself trying to budge this immovable object, she'd have chased the thing down and given her a piece of her mind!

Opening her eyes, she made out some kind of humanoid figure behind her. She couldn't get a good sense of the newcomer given she was looking upside down, but it was enough to tell it wasn't the same JERK that laughed at her, and therefore still on speaking terms.

"Leave the cart?" Vie asked with a hand to her chest, shocked to even consider it. The fairy pulled her head out of the cart and readjusted herself, facing the stranger normally to get a better look and also to stop all the blood from rushing to her head. "Nuh uh! I promised I'd get this thing to the city and gosh darn I'll. . ." Her eyes settled with some level of annoyance on the cart. ". . . figure something out." She sighed again. "Well. . . maybe you could--" She suddenly stopped mid sentence, not wanting to scare this one off as well. "Oh, what's the use. I guess I'm just stuck here for now."

Vie unfastened her sword from her belt, sheath and all, and rapped it against the wooden frame of the cart.

"Hey buddy, you want to come out and help me maybe? Please?" She must've seemed like a loon talking to her weapon but she didn't care at this point, she'd already made enough of a fool of herself as it was.


dazzling

 

[ghosthouse]

Blessed with a cruel sense of humor, Elysant collapsed onto her knees, now crying from her laughter. In the jungle she amused herself by teasing the animals, and in truth it may have impacted her with a touch of madness. The girl yelled at her, rightfully so, but she could do nothing but try to cover her mouth to poorly muffle the noise. She hadn't seen anything this hilarious since she attended a satyr play months ago - one with real satyr actors! Even the memory of it made her burst out into another round of giggles, until she started coughing instead. Thrown into a fit she lost all her humor, soon finding herself lightheaded in the fields.

Elysant got ahold of herself, stood up from the ground and furthermore brushed the dirt from her trousers. Looking towards the road she saw the merchant's chart roll on ahead, leaving the fairy girl with her sad, broken cart and a new character to the scene: a woman, no - an elf, who towered above the other. More curious now she walked towards them, able to catch sight of a man emerging from the tall grass. It seemed her venture outside of Meletus' walls may prove to be immediately fruitful, or at least interesting.

"Hello, strangers!" she called, cupping her hands over her mouth, "you're in trouble, aren't you?" Grinning at the pair she stopped several feet adjacent to them, then poked at her chest with her thumb, her chin jutted out with a sense of pride and confidence. "I could help you, it'd be no problem for me" Elysant claimed as she got closer, still holding a smile. However, this brazen smile faded once the fairy began speaking to a sword, asking it for help. Lifting her eyebrows she watched on silently, both perplexed and pleased. With all her adventures she'd be a fool to assume the girl was a mere lunatic, although it still remained a possibility. Now invested in this situation Elysant waited patiently for something (anything) to happen, observing without interfering, yet.

Melon Bomb dazzling BugDozer73

 

[BugDozer73]

To be fair, he was fuzzy. not physically, but rather in his head. Like he had been hit in the head with a lead pipe or maybe had taken one to many shots. Maybe thats how he had fallen asleep in a field? Was he a drunk? The thought wasn't one he relished, but perhaps it would mean the quick return of his memory. He didn't have a head ache though, or much pain at all. Despite some stiffness in his back, it was almost like he had just gotten a good nights sleep.

He walked closer to the commotion, one of the women calling to him. Did they know him? He peered closer, but didn't recognize them. Of course he didn't, why the hell did he think that he might? However it was clear by the scene and their body language that she was calling to him for help, rather than how someone would call to a friend.

Wait, she wasn't calling to him at all. Was she talking to her sword? As if the day couldn't get any weirder. He almost considered skipping past this scene entirely, but he needed to know where he was anyways.

"Excuse me" He said in a handsome tone."woah.... I sound hot!" He thought with surprise, and a small smile grew on his face. With a little more confidence, and overindulgence in his own voice, he continued. "Can you tell me where we are? What city is that?" He pointed to the large white city.

What they saw was a man emerge from the grass, short wavy black hair, mussed by sea spray. His eyes were an amber green that seemed to almost lap at his iris's. His face was thin and cut, with a small scar slipping through the left of his face, over his lips and ending on the left side of his chin. He wore a grey leather jacket and black pantaloons, and a cotton white shirt that had clearly been worn a few times. He wore black swashbuckler boots with a bit of mud dried on thew soles. He was rugged and handsome, if in a boyish way.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Vie squinted softly at Elysant.

"Maybe I don't want your help! Because this guy. . ." The fairy twirled lazily over to the suspicious man who had just risen from the tall grass. ". . . is going to help me instead. Right?" She rapped her knuckles against the cart and continued, now facing him, "You help me get this thing into the city and I'll tell you anything you need to know!" It was a shoddy, halfway promise given that she didn't actually know a whole lot about Meletus herself, but that's not important. Worse comes to worst, she can just make something up-- no, no, she shouldn't do that. She was no stranger to lying on the occasion but she shouldn't make it a habit or she'll end up like that lady. Not that she wasn't a respectable person, but. . .

She eyed the other woman again, swishing her pout side to side. Well, maybe I shouldn't be so hasty. If this guy decides he doesn't want to help me I seriously do deserve to be laughed at.

 

[BugDozer73]

The man looked over the cart. It was old, and worn, and filled with mildly fresh fruit. Looking over at the town, it only looks to be a few miles away. How hard could it be to move a fruit cart? "Sure, ill help you. Wouldn't be right if I left you stranded out here." The man looked over at the other two. two elves, thought the one laughing's ears seemed to be not as pronounced. Half elf maybe? He acknowledged them both before sizing up the cart. He put his hands together and rubbed them slightly before grabbing both poles.

The cart itself weighed a ton, and with considerable strain, he managed to lift it up and begin trecking forward to the town. His feet seemed to sink a little in the ground. It was moist, signifying that it had rained the previous evening; the mud didn't help with moving the cart forward either. However it made him wonder how he had awoken so dry. As he kept moving forward, and with not so subtle effort, he asked the woman "so, you are from around here, no?" There was a bit of wheeze in his voice as he spoke, and to the other girls, he had the feint smell of sea spray and kelp... or was that just the distant shore, lapping against the rocks?