Fantasy The Sundering Star

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Emily didn't respond as much as she just burrowed further into Calista's hair. She was beyond angry she couldn't actually speak, yet she was happy she was back in the world of the living and the feel of just the wind on her face was much to make the little rodent smile. The wind of course being created by Calista walking. This was a new adventure to be explored and enjoyed! Emily lightly patted Calista's hair as a way to remind the girl that she now had a passenger to think about as she walked.

"Aw, what a cutie!" Emily stiffened and viciously protested the only way she knew how. She pointed and crossed her arms and squeaked as loud as she could while she paced on Calista's hair trying her best to look big and intimidating to the much taller and much better armed traveler. After a minute of a tantrum, Emily say back down on Calista's head her back facing Verena. Every few seconds she looked back at Verena to look and see if she somehow managed to hurt Verena's feelings for calling her a cutie. She was a woman! She was gorgeous or beautiful or maybe.... cute... This new traveler may have a point she though as she reflected on her new fluffy tail and adorable checks.


Emily

 

[Felis]

When Marguerite looked over her shoulder every now and then, she'd catch Morinia giving her approving looks, but it wasn't until one of her feet caught on a tree root and she stepped onto a pointy twig with the other one that Marguerite connected the dots and concluded it probably had been for avoiding these missteps until then. She cursed under her breath at the stick digging into her foot, but the remainders of her socks, holey as they might be by now, still helped keep her scrapes to a minimum. As long as she paid proper attention to where she was going, though, the skills gained in traversing littered city streets in flip-flops or sandals back home largely transferred to navigating the forest floor.

Soon enough, they met Calista heading towards them on the same path. She seemed a bit worn-out, and Marguerite hoped she hadn't overexerted herself hiking through the forest. Though she was a lot better by now, straining herself too soon might worsen her condition again. But since Calista was smiling and hadn't started coughing again so far, Marguerite figured she was probably fine.

She grinned when the chipmunk squealed, apparently upset by something. It acted in an almost human way, pointing its little paws at Morinia. Maybe it was just demanding food? "Adorable, and quite vocal," Marguerite laughed. "I'm actually curious as well. Where I used to live, many chipmunks are used to humans because they live in or near cities, but I didn't expect the ones here to be so trusting, too."

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista sighed at Emily’s reaction, and pointed her finger up to her. “Emily, please don’t be mean. I know it’s frustrating you can’t speak but this is the best I could do! They’re my friends.” She said, before turning to Verena and Marguerite.

“This is Emily.” Calista said, gesturing to the chipmunk. She almost winced as she realized she still had a bit of blood on her hands. “I’m.... not sure how to explain this. But in simple terms, Emily is a ghost. I transferred her soul to a chipmunk.” She said, shrugging a bit. She didn’t know how it worked either, but such was life. She then smiled a bit, and looked at Marguerites feet. “Well, look at that. Traveling barefoot in the forest are we?” She asked playfully.

She was mostly trying to keep the attention away from the fact that she had basically performed necromancy. But then the thought of the demon came back, and her smile faded. Should she tell them about it? Would they get freaked out? Calista knew demons were bad things, but what even was it? It wasn’t the Kithin, for sure. Something.... more outwardly violent. More open about its existence.

 

[Verena]

Verena chuckled at the chipmunk's reaction and stepped back from it, giving the shy creature some space and privacy before it decided to escape out of simple fear for its life. She imagined it must be quite scary to be approached by a giant. However, when the serpent heard Calista’s introduction of the creature, her expression changed from joyful to worrisome. It took her a moment to comprehend what she had just heard, then her eyes trailed down to the necromancer's bloody hands and narrowed into slits. “I thought you didn’t want to use your dark magic or bad things might occur. We clearly saw that with our precious and unusable map. What happened this time?” Verena's voice sounded more demanding than she would have liked but if Calista had made some sort of deal with some sort of demon, then Verena had to know.

 

[Meme Machine]

Calista faltered at Verena’s words, and pursed her lips. “It’s not unusable. And the magic I used wasn’t dark.” She left out the part where she thought it wasn’t dark, just in case. It felt so odd having someone beside herself saying that she shouldn’t use her powers. Where she was from, people wanted her to use her powers all the time....

“Emily told me a spell that a patron god told her. I don’t know what it meant, but it didn’t feel like my normal magic.” She said. She considered telling Verena about the demon, but paused. What if she told someone, and then the demon came after her too? It could have been a vision of the past, anyway. It didn’t matter, right?

 

[Verena]

Verena raised a brow and snickered. “Yeah, sure it’s not. We just have to find a volunteer to try and touch the bloody thing. How about we speak again afterward.” They were sure to find some unfortunate and greedy soul along the way. Maps are quite valuable after all.

“Well, nothing bad seems to have happened so far and I do have to admit that that’s a handy trick you learned there. You’ve practically brought someone from the dead.” There was no denying that this was close to a miracle and that it would be of great help down the line. “Anyways, let’s go back to the dwarves and the horses. We’ll be departing tomorrow morning and I want to chill a bit.”

 

[Felis]

As Marguerite had decided that magic in general shouldn't surprise her in this world, then Emily's case should be no exception, but Marguerite still found it hard to wrap her head around someone coming back from death - even if it was in another body. "Well, it's not like it's my choice," she sighed at Calista's quip. "But whatever type of magic, I think it's fairly amazing? That such a spell even exists, and works... And, euh, nice to meet you, Emily," Marguerite nodded at the formerly-human-ghost chipmunk.

"Sure, let's go back," Marguerite agreed, glossing over the argument over Calista's map. They still had the one Addir had given them, after all, so at least until they reached New Salieri, it wasn't like they were left directionless. Why quarrel over spilled milk? The thought gave her a little pause. Back home, Marguerite was sure she would have loved to play devil's advocate for one side, arguing moot and irrelevant points ad nauseam. Probably I just don't want to be stranded here and die because our group fell apart, she concluded.

In any case, Marguerite decided she might as well take the lead set the pace for their walk back as the most handicapped one of them due to her lack of shoes. That way, at least nobody had to worry about one of them not keeping up.

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Risus had stayed true to his word and loaded up all survivors and stowed the cargo for the two dwarves. The process took only scant minutes as there was more sailors than supplies. The provisions for two dwarves for a month were little as they simply brought in items the dwarves themselves could not farm, find or create. Flour, dried meats, ale, replacement items and other small fine goods. The total boxes and barrels was only half a dozen large boxes. Once completed Risus began to send his crew back. Risus said his goodbyes and soon the ship drifted off and minutes later the Serpent ship sailed away as quickly as it came.

The crew quickly sailed away to the ship on their landing craft by the time Verena had found Calista. Meanwhile, aboard the "Doom Spear" the Seahag Julia searched far and wide for Verena. By night she gave up her search and gathered conscious to seek out the ship's captain. After knocking a few heads together and wagging her finger at a few of the sailors. Julia sat in front of Captain "Risus". His mask was off set to the side in arms reach. His face was a mess of scar tissue. His whole left face looked like the skin had haphazardly been cut off leaving it rough, uneven and a sight to regret. The right half was burned terribly sometime long ago. It was a mess of shiny and perfectly smooth skin. Almost as if it was melted and quickly frozen to leave a remarkably ugly face. All of it was done to only leave physical scars that wouldn't hinder his ability to communicate. It was torture meant to last a life time and to not steal away valuable years of potential misery and allow him a normal life knowing he was little better than a beast.

Julia in all her years had only heard half spoken whispered about the "Flayed Kindred". His tone was different from earlier no longer hiding behind a mask of civility instead it was replaced with a harsh chopping of his words. His vocabulary switching from the courteous captain to a rough growling predator.

"The dwarves make an odd pair. They watch the sea for those troubled by the unforgiving waves. It warms my heart to see there's still good in the world when so much wrong happens daily." Julia smiled faintly, her mind wandered to a promise years ago before the siege stole it from her, before a snort and laugh broke her day dreaming.

"They care not for the troubled. They are waiting for only one person. They would let thousands drown for just one to live and be happy with the results." Bitterness seeped into his words. His own mind flickered back to the hypocrisy of the odd pair. He was relieved after all that he didn't need to pretend to talk and enjoy the pair's company.

"Like how you would collect all the passengers but one cousin and leave like a thief in the night before your kinsmen could protest?"

"Wait days for a single serpent? Yes, I forget my place. I'll turn the ship around, so I can let hundreds of my siblings die waiting for their rations, weapons and reinforcements."

"What if you do? Kekoguard has the best warriors we have to offer. His job is to win wars. Is yours not to pick up passengers?"

"Is yours not to sail and keep your ship in good shape? I'm confused as I see none of your ships here. Perhaps your friend can find your ship as they wait by the beach?"

"Who can stop the winds of fate? You?"

"No, I could stop the winds of a fools errand. Few would sail the route you decided upon. Fewer would know the route you picked has a link to quite the prize"

"Prize there is no prize. I simply wanted to meet the dwarves that saved many of m-"

"Quit your lunicay, I know Seth hid something there. I want to know what it is"

"You think you can decide what secrets the Great Hydra tells? You young folk have no respect to your elders!"

"Respect? I see a withered hag before me. Who was young when Seth was not the Great Hydra but Fr-"

"You sail on troubled waters. You would do your best to keep your mouth shut and beg The Great Hydra for forgiveness in doubting his resolve. Many have died before they even begin to learn such fabulous tales."

An awkward silence sunk in the room as Risus tapped on his desk. The two stared at each other the pair refusing to relent. Risus stood up and opened the door leading to the deck offering his arm as he donned his mask. "Perhaps we should speak in the morning, I apologizing for challenging one of the fourty" Julia just nodded and followed Risus. Her eyes traced the fine ship to notice no one was on duty aside from the night crew. Good, the young lad didn't work his men into the dirt like those Venn'darian's do. They only did it th- A hand found its way to her throat and a fist roughly hit her midsection. Julia felt the same hands roughly grab her and throw her against the rail. Moments later she felt herself falling into the sea.

"The Sea Hag died at sea a terrible fate yes?" the night crew nodded none speaking. Their masks hiding their identities in the moon light. A laughing skull, horned daemon, frowning face and blank slate greeted Risus' proclamation.

"Did she share anything?"

"Her actions spoke loudly enough. Seth is not whom he seems. You know what to do yes?"

"Of course"

The one wearing a laughing skull chanted quietly for a minute before a purple portal appeared. The four disappeared into it leaving only Risus on the deck of his ship. With a huff, Risus grabbed the dead bodies of 4 of his crew men hidden around the deck and placed them to look like they fought some unknown assailant. He cut one of the landing craft off to make a possible escape believable. Once he finished, he went back to his room. The next shift would find them and assume Julia died in the fight and the crew members were stealthily killed. The only one blamed of course would be the serpents who didn't board. Quite the list and this most importantly free Risus to find this secret.

 

[Felis]

On their way back, Marguerite couldn't help but dwell on the thought that while she was happy enough to start traveling the next day (it was more productive than waiting for their problems to resolve themselves, at least), she felt like all she had done so far was tag along and try not to get left behind. As things were, she didn't see any way this would change soon, either. No shoes, no information, no magic...

Well, technically she didn't know the latter for certain yet. Even though there wasn't any noticeable magic in Marguerite's home world, the summoning spell had still worked on her. Perhaps magic was something you had to actively learn, and most (if not all) people in her world had no idea how to go about it. Perhaps her world was simply lacking the catalyst necessary to use magic from inside it.

Reading stories about magic had given Marguerite enough inspiration to come up with dozens of possible explanations, but at the end of the day they didn't amount to more than wishful thinking. Daydreaming about ways that let her make tangible contributions was really all she could do right now. She might have been summoned more for her academical abilities than any hypothetical magical ones, but Marguerite found they were fairly useless without any study materials.

Musing about learning avenues like this, Marguerite connected the dots for the first time when she spotted Gunther as their group left the forest behind. She could have slapped herself for not realizing it sooner, but even if she only had half a day, she was not going to pass up the opportunity to become marginally less useless on the road ahead. She excused herself from Morinia and Calista and headed after Gunther, who had gone back into the hut.

"Gunther? If you have some time, I have a question or two," Marguerite said, still hovering by the doorframe. "My friends and I are leaving tomorrow, and I was wondering if you could tell me about any plants or herbs or the like travelers should know, both to look for and to avoid. I figured since you seem to know quite a lot about potions..." She sighed. "I should probably have thought of it sooner, but better late than never, no?"

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Gunther yelped at the sudden intrusion distracting him about his thoughts about the pot roast he planned on cooking this week to a interested "student" asking him some real questions. Gunther straightened his back and coughed into his hand as he "slyly" pulled a handkerchief with the Imperial Crest upon it and coughed once again making sure everyone in the party had a good look at it as he had a "coughing fit".

"Oh I'm nobody my dear. I hardly could tell plants apart despite being an alchemist myself." Another casual wave of his handkerchief as he wiped around his beard. His eyes widened as he saw Addir speed away the fear of losing his captive crowd immediately got the old dwarf to finally spit out his tale.

"Er wait! Ah yes I remember. Your friend I'm sure has traveled much around Kvass but there's a little known plant called 'The Travlers Companion'. It helps decrease appetite and increase focus. I have a few written works that could help with the beginnings of alchemy if you yourself have magic. I could also give you the names of a few colleagues before you go."

Gunther rubbed his beard in deep thought before shaking his head. "Ack! You troublesome trio missed the boat. I'm sure our friend will return if you are willing to wait. That's plenty of time to teach you the inner workings of alchemy there's much to my branch of magic. We do have a seat at the Imperial court after all!"

 

[Felis]

That was not exactly the answer Marguerite had expected (though considering the time she had had to get to know Gunther, that was mostly on her), but it was still... insightful, she supposed. Potions were made with alchemy - it was logical, but she still had to get used to viewing everything from a "magic exists" point of view first and foremost.

"If I have magic... Euh, actually, how do I know if I do?" Marguerite asked, then tried to explain, "Where I come from... Where I used to live, magic or magic users weren't really... widespread, I suppose. I didn't really come into contact with it until I started traveling recently. So, is it something you are born with? Do you just realize one day you can cast spells or...?"

Marguerite tried to supress a sigh. One of the next things about which she'd have to talk to Morinia was merging the existing bits and pieces of her invented or paraphrased backstory into a coherent, believable tale that wouldn't come back to bite her too easily.

"But yes, in the case my magic ability is somewhat existant, I'll gladly take you up on your offer as far as my time allows," she hurried to add. "Thank you. And in any case, I'd be thankful for a description of this 'Travelers' Companion' as well, it does sound quite useful."

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Location: Near the Hut
Characters: Gunther Felis
Mentions Verena
____________________________

A look of curiosity spread to Gunther's face. "Surely your village had an artifact or conduit? oh yes I suppose not every one is the same. For many villages its a piece of jewelry or staff. I heard there's even a village where they use a sword. Those with magic will cause the artifact to... well quite simply change. Oh my your village sounds quite behind in the times if it even lacks such an artifact. Magic is usually a very intimate subject. Most are born with magic, but one can always gain the power of magic through rituals, gods, artifacts and such." Gunther struggled to explain the matter. In court, he taught those well advanced in their years of formal training with decades of informal training. Explaining the basics was as complicated as brewing an elixir of life for the aging dwarf.

"Your traveling companion was it Morinia or Morgania? She may be able to guide you to the city run Mage Guild. I hear the noble Seth I believe runs a tight ship there. I have yet to hear one of his students leave the guild once they join. A down side of that guild is many students die from what I hear. Training accidents of course I truly don't understand why when Seth pays a fortune in safety precautions. It must weight heavily on his soul" Gunther was crestfallen thinking about the famous philanthropist who regularly helped many in need being unjustly blamed for all those deaths.

"The matter of casting spells is quite complex you see. I am quite a powerful alchemist, yet I cannot use any battle magic that is if I don't take battle potions. You see everyone is born with magic to some extent its really finding those with the ability to do anything meaningful with it. Some like Addir spent decades without knowing they can use it as he can only use battle magic and some very weak elemental and healing magic. Everyone is born with a different magical center. It would be best to find someone else to teach you. Us dwarves learn magic through books mostly. I think you humans have more piratical training and don't worry on the theoreticals." Upon finishing his long winded responses. The trees opened up to reveal the humble home on the hill only a few minutes away if one were to take their time.

"Ah yes, we are close to the hut I'll go ahead and bring out the book. There's stew in the campfire by the hut where most of your friends had stayed. I'll be right back" Gunther did what resembled flailing as he sped ahead of the group to the hut to quickly find half a dozen books that served him well in the years. most were just a handful of pages protected by cheap leather, but they were well worth the price. After recovering his breathe from the days exercises he made his way outside to find the group and to show the picture of Traveler's Companion to Marguerite.

 

[Felis]

"Almost like I stepped into a different world, isn't it," Marguerite muttered to her herself as Gunther expressed his surprise about Marguerite's lack of previous contact with magic. While she didn't really want to put any more emphasis on her strange circumstances, she couldn't quite bite back that dry quip either.

Well, she hadn't expected too much from her questions, and the way Gunther made it sound, she wouldn't have gotten far with learning magic in one day, anyway. At least they had some new pointers to go off now. The Mage Guild might not only be a useful place for Marguerite trying to learn magic, but also if they couldn't dispel the problems with their map on their own.

"Thanks, that might be a good idea. Just... how many is 'many'?" Marguerite asked in reference to the student casualties. "Is that more of a problem for, say, battle magic, or in general?" If it mainly affected certain forms of magic, then she could still hope her (still hypothetical) potential lay elsewhere. That being said, Marguerite wasn't her long-term survival chances in this world were all that great even without spells backfiring or whatever other accidents Gunther was implying, so maybe it didn't matter.

She paused while the dwarf fetched the book, then said as she began memorizing the page, "You'd be surprised, then. Maybe you could consider it... an oddity of my village, but I've mostly studied by reading all my life. I've yet to see what good it did me, though."

The Traveler's Companion was an unassuming but still distinct herb, Marguerite found, with long, narrow leaves that had smooth edges and prominent veins. It somewhat reminded her of a weed she had often seen at home, but never paid much attention to. She couldn't remember the name. "Which parts of the plants are used? The leaves?" Marguerite asked.

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Location: Near the hut
Interaction: Felis
____________________

Gunther without missing a beat "Oh I heard the last class was the standard. Forty students entered and only twelve are still living a measure better than the other cities. I would say its usually battle magic that reaps the most casualties, but even his alchemy and enchantment students seem to die terrible deaths. My friends have investigated the school and well. They couldn't find an explanation. Shame magic is such an unforgiving mistress."

"There's nothing wrong with a good book. It's just a shame your village is so... backward. I must say living in such poverty well my heart goes out to you and your community. I hope one day they will get the chance to see true civilization as one should!"

"The bits and pieces of the plant are vital. The leaves hold most of the vital energy one needs. The problem is if one only uses the leaf then the energy will last for mere hours. The trick is to chew only a little at a time. A mistake many guardsmen have made is simply consuming it all in one go. They'll run a mile in seconds to only fall over exhausted minutes later. I would also only recommend this on short journeys as few can fall asleep with this leaf in their system. Of course, the true 'magic' of the herb is found in those veins. One would need to use magic to directly tap into the substance within but for many simply chewing the leaf is enough."

"I must ask what school of magic do you seek to pursue? Many of you youngsters always want to become battle mages like Addir, but I think you desire something different. I would warn against pursuing some schools of magic that Good Lord Seth offers. I hear he even ran a class for the School of the Kilthin. The last student of that school killed his whole class due to the teachings of such a vile disregard for the basic fundamentals of living magic. After all, magic is meant to be an intellectual pursuit and not one of merely pursuing power, yes?"

 

[Felis]

Twelve out of forty surviving was the standard? Those numbers weren't exactly encouraging, but Marguerite tried to put it out of her mind for the moment. "Yes, a shame, certainly," she echoed Gunther. That was one way to phrase it, at least.

Marguerite passed over Gunther's comment about her "village" with a sigh and a nod, then focused again when he began describing how to use the Traveler's Companion. "I see," she said, then tried to think of a hexameter to memorize it. Euh... Chew the leaf gradually, lest you collapse, its veins contain magic. It seemed a bit clumsy to her as far as verses went, but she'd remember it. Probably.

"I'll keep it in mind, thanks, those classes don't sound too... auspicious," Marguerite nodded again, then gave a nervous laugh. "As for what I want to study, well, I didn't originally know there were that many different schools. But I agree, I'm generally in favor of 'intellectual pursuits', over fighting, yes... Euh... I'm maybe thinking healing or perhaps enchanting things could be useful? Keep in mind that I don't know yet what sorts of magic are possible for me, though." Her hand reflexively went to her earring to fidget with it, then moved on to a loose strand of hair when she remembered it was no longer there.

 

[TheLoyalAcorn]

Location: Campfire
Interaction: Party
____________________
"Ah yes, I think all young mages should learn to heal. A great foundation for learning magic since many can use it and the risks are quite defined. One could also give back to the people! Like those in your village." Gunther was more than supportive of such a bright young lass to learn such an honorable school of magic. Kids these days seemed to only want to fight off the Sunderings. A true waste he felt as his memories of the Capital came flooding back.

"Your instructors will teach you more than I. The Initiation Rites should steer you on the right path. That's how I learned I had a great affinity for alchemy. I would dare say I wouldn't think too much upon it. Everyone goes in with an expectation of some grand school filled with arcane ceremonies filled with blood, but the schools have modernized with the times." Gunther meekly waddled over to the campfire inviting those who wished to join him to sit down and enjoy the time they had left together as he seemingly pulled a wrapped bundle of dried meats from one of his pockets.

"whilst you are at the college, I would encourage yourself Morinia and Calista to seek out your own adventures. The city if full of new and exciting possibilities. I would love to go myself, but I feel like my mind would not be able to keep up with you young folk anymore. I heard that the cult of Kylathen and the Sons of the Serpent are looking for those willing to work. They pay fairly if what Risus tells me is true"