Welcome to the Jungle

CoreyXIX

CoreyXIX

BA Freakin' Overlord
The Kharazim Jungle. A humid region notorious for being difficult to travel through let alone settle in. The tropical climate was home to many species of plants and animals. In many places the canopy is so thick it is almost as dark as night in some areas. Rumors of magic and treasure have attracted many an unwary adventurer in the past, but most only find their death among the jungle and ruins. Despite the danger, beings still occasionally found ways to survive the environment. Beware, for not all inhabitants of the jungle have your best interest in mind. 


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Coursing along the flowing river was a small wooden boat. In itself wasn't very unusual for ways to travel the region, but the unusual thing itself was the passengers. The paddles were manned by translucent figures, resembling humanoids but not quite matching any one particular race. At the head of a boat stood a figure in navy blue robes tied together by a belt with a small skull at the buckle, his lantern clutched in his bony hand as it glowed with a soft cyan light as if to be a guiding light in the darker atmosphere of the jungle. His eyes too glowed that same cyan color, although "eye sockets" was a better description for him. The pilled up hood on his robes would make it less obvious from a distance that his countenance was not not of the living.


Mehran scanned the shorelines as the specters tirelessly paddled at a slow pace down the river. As a priest of Alkathos it was the duty of the menacing lich to deal with threats to their community, let alone those who personally threatened him or his position. This time, he was to deal with a rogue priest. Despite being as still as a statue, internally he was positively seething in anger as he looked around. To betray their brotherhood and sacred duties was one of the worst offenses a person in their home city could possibly commit, and Mehran personally pledged to wipe this stain from the preisthood's reputation. But this also a very personal matter for the lich for the scum had also taken something of great personal value to him. The trail wasn't hard for him to follow, as one so steeped in death as himself had been more than able to follow the faint trails of necromantic magic that followed.


"Land me there." Mehran says, his voice soft spoken but full of his purpose at the moment. The specters obligingly started paddling to the side, pulling up onto a small outcropping of land that was sticking out in the river that connected to the shore. After the landed he cautiously stepped out, taking his scythe out of the boat as well. "The two  of you, guard the boat. If I don't return within two days' time, report my absence to the bishop." he says, the humanoid figured nodding and fidgeting as if full of nervous energy to do something but now unable to. He turned from the boat to the thickets surrounding him. He suspected he knew where his destination was going to bring him, though he hoped not. 


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Through the sounds of the local fauna; birds cawing, monkeys screeching at each other, there was another sound. The sound of an axe cutting through the thick vines that entomb the area, and deep grunts as this happens.


The one wielding the axe was strong - over two metres of Orcish muscle. Another followed behind him; smaller in comparison but still quite tall. The Orcish one was dressed in traditional Orcish clothing - comprising mainly of wolf pelts and metal armour pieces yet he also had what could only be described as a mage's lower half, coloured in blues and golds. 


"How close to it?"


He asks his companion in surprisingly good Common for an Orc, he had a somewhat decent education, even though he still has his Orcish accent and low, brutal voice. The mysterious pair had been tracking a magical energy source for weeks now - they had tracked it to this jungle.


@CoreyXIX
 
Ivellious kept most of his attention on keep track of the magical residues he was currently look after. In all honesty, the elf really wasn't a fan of the humidity that currently surrounded them. Thank goodness for his companion's axe or this would have been quite the unfun trip!


The elf was a contrast to the orc, all of his garments more befitting the image of a mage. Blue and gold robes were on him, along with a circlet on his forehead to boot.  He used his staff as part waking stick part moving-stuff-away stick. One would wonder how the two would get along so well at first glance.


The strong thwacks of the orc cutting down vines was rhythmic in it's own right, a kind o metronome that which he found himself focusing to as he worked on detecting the magics.


The low, brutal voice was enough to recapture his attention. "We're making progress, but..." he takes another look around as if he were uneasy about something other than the wildlife. "I picked up a few traces of magic auras and thought I just caught wind of them again." he answers, voicing his concern. He knew the Kharazim Jungle held it's fair share of danger, but didn't expect so many..magical being to be present among wildlife. The thing that worried him was the three things that didn't match with the others.


@The Fabulous Emerald
 
(btw, this is open to all.)


"Where are they? Are they dangerous?"


Lumdran spoke again in his gruff voice, yet this time much more hushed and quiet. He reaches for the staff on his back. The staff itself wasn't anything too special; made of white and gold materials, had the rough shape of a crescent moon at the top, yet the gem at its peak was something odd. Regardless of where it was, it constantly radiated magical energies, yet not in a rhythmical pattern. It was wild, and unpredictable, like the most voracious of beasts.


@CoreyXIX
 
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"I'm not sure if they are dangerous to us, but one of the three was pretty strong. The three went pretty far ahead. Somehow I don't think they were keeping tabs on us." Ivellious replies to Lumbran. His gem-topped staff was more classical in style, a look that most elves would have found fashionable to be using were they mages. "As long as we don't get too close by we probably won't be hindered by them." he hypothesizes. "But in better news, if we keep going northwest we should get close and hopefully so within an hour or two." he adds, taking a moment to listen to the wilderness and its songs.


@The Fabulous Emerald
 
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Selene Algray
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Mood :: //
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Interaction :: @CoreyXIX @The Fabulous Emerald
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Goal :: Learn of these men
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The low-hanging ceiling that the thick tree branches made were normally home to fearsome predators. They stalked their prey from up above, pouncing and killing in one swift strike. However, a concealed, yet out of place woman lay among these homes. 
​


She held stars in her eyes, and her silvery hair flowed with an absent breeze, moving as if submerged underwater. Her grey eyes were focused on her twirling hands in front of her, conjuring mini solar systems and fiery suns. She gave a sad smile that no one could see, missing her home.
​


The woman folded her hands over her chest and closed her eyes, dozing off to the drone of the flesh-eating bugs that lie in the forest.
​


She had yet to leave, as this lush place had been home to her in such an unfamiliar place many years ago. It had become her sort of prison, and as she was placed under her curse, she was happy to be placed in this jungle. However, even though she had fleeting thoughts of leaving, she had no where to go outside of the jungle. So here she lay, trapped even in her waking form.
​


The silver-haired girl began humming a tune to herself, twirling her fingers and spinning the sun in her mini-system. She stopped abruptly, pocketing her system, when she heard voices coming from deep within the jungle.
​


The girl peeked through some leaves, silently staring at the men below her. Normally, mortals did not make it through the trails of the jungle. It seemed these men were very lucky or very resourceful. Nonetheless, they were here and Selene was near them. She had to leave...
​


And yet, she hadn't seen a mortal in a long time. Maybe it was time for her to examine them. Learn their ways. It didn't seem like a bad idea, as long as the men did not notice their silent observer.
​


so Selene followed them through the treetops, her steps making not a sound, as though death himself was chasing these men. 
​
 
As the duo continued forward Ivellious wondered briefly about the power he sensed traveling the river. He hadn't told his companion, but it sure didn't feel like magic from a pleasant individual, that was for sure. As long as the two of them could find their source of the rumor and get out of here, he would be perfectly fine with never dealing with these inhospitable flora and faunas for a while. Much of it was fascinating without a doubt and he would love to spend some time learning more, but the circumstances were putting a damper on thatThey were making their approach soon enough anyway, each hack and slash bring them one step closer. Maybe it would be He who they searched so much for. Or maybe even a clue for their vanished mentor. Either way, what they looked for could be very, very interesting.


"So, you ever hear about some of the things rumored to lie beneath the ruins and ziggurats? Apparently a lot of people found their deaths out here looking for them." Ivellious asks his partner. "Oh, move a little more westward real quick would you please? Some of the aura I'm tracking shifted just a little." he notes real quickly.


@The Fabulous Emerald @Galaxy's Silver Lining


Mehran's stride as he moved through a lot of the thickets was slow. Even with the occasional need for that scythe he brought along there was still much work to be done during his tracking. The black and purple spider that nestled under his robes slowly walked out from inside and over and out of where the lich's face came through the robes and decided to rest on his shoulder. "I know, it's quite different from where I brought you from." he quietly whispers and chuckles to himself, feeling the spider's seemingly never-ending curiosity of the jungle and it's surroundings. No surprise there, since it had previously inhabited a cave system in a land far away a long time ago. It had attached itself to him and stuck around, essentially becoming his second Familiar. It was a pity he went separate ways with the ally that had been most helpful in the adventure that took him there. Oh well, things happened. Mehran didn't even pay heed the near total silence of the animals nearby him. He was unnatural, and nature didn't really like that. The bony lantern he carried soon had the cyan flame in it snubbed out by him so as to not attract more attention to himself on this mission. Yes, this trail was going almost exactly where he hoped it wouldn't. Why did renegades always hole themselves up like this when they commit treason? All it did was make him angry when he found them.
 
"No, I have not. But, I look forward to a challenge."


Lumdran is a man of few words, and fewer questions. While he is wise in his areas of expertise, as one would expect, he doesn't know much else. He leaves the thinking to his friend. He follows his lead almost without question, since he has trust in Ivellious's intellect. He changes direction to head westward.


@CoreyXIX @Galaxy's Silver Lining
 
"Fair enough friend, fair enough." Ivellious remarks while Lumdran continued his assault on the vines. A nice, needed cleanup really. Nature should be thanking them a little for it. "Even if we don't find him here, I'd practically bet my circlet we'll still find something useful." He says as he continues his watch. It might have just been this environment, but something really felt kind of weird. As long as nothing bad happened he wouldn't concern himself with it though.


@The Fabulous Emerald @Galaxy's Silver Lining
 
"I hope we find him here."


Lumdran misses his Master, yet he couldn't place a finger on it. Perhaps he is what the humans call a 'fatherly figure'. After all, orc fathers are never there, and if they are they only care about their offspring's sword arm.
 
"Agreed." Ivellious nods in agreement, hopeful as well. The big lug probably saw their master much as he did. Though he had real parents of his own, he was given to the Master as an apprentice as a way of showing thanks for helping his country back when he was barely a toddler. The elf was content to let a lot of the time go to silence after Lumdran's sentiments were made known.


It had been some time later, but the trail they followed soon came to a small lake with ruins dotting the surrounding area. Here he felt a few small traces of things magic. Oh, how he wished he had the time to study these old wonders, to puzzle them together and open their secrets to him. Maybe he would risk a second trip to this godsforsaken land after all this was said and done. He swats away a couple errant mosquitoes that came too close. 


"The path I've been following keep going along the ruins to the other side of the lake.." he trails off a bit in his speech. "But I'm getting a few small things here, and somehow I don't think the traces are just old residue." their Master had taught him quite a lot, including how to piece together the most likely sources of magic for each aura he could pick up on with the amplified power his staff lent him.  "There might be a few traps or something left among the old buildings here. Please be careful, Lumdran." he cautions as he looked around.
 
"I will. Don't worry, I can handle it."


Saying that, he doesn't particularly look around for anything, and keeps going on his path. He personally believes that traps and ambushes are only for the cowardly, and orcs are very strong against the cowardly. Probably.


He doesn't pay attention to any of the mosquitoes. Lumdran doesn't know much, but he does know that orc blood is amongst the most vile tasting, even to these insects, and his leather like skin would probably stop the mosquito bites anyway. While he is aware that there are plenty of dangers here, Lumdran believes that he is simply too strong for these creatures to even consider attacking him. Of course, that is how most orcs think. They tend to think with their weapon, not their brain. Some scholars believe that orcs shouldn't class as sophisticated, like elves or humans, but more like animals. Of course, it wouldn't be smart to say that in front of them.


He ambles along, barely bothering to watch his step and definitely doesn't look around. Old buildings bored him.
 
( @Strange_Encounters what @The Fabulous Emerald said. One of his characters and one of mine are seeking out magical auras while @Galaxy's Silver Lining is watching us. Mehran is slowly but surely making his way towards where he believes a traitor to his people is holed up in. There's hasn't been anything important yet.)


As the two ambled along their path Ivellious took care observing. When they finally go by one of the aura he sidesteps over to take a look. Hm, it looked like some old runes for sure. But since it wasn't activating what was the point of them being magical. As if on cue it pulses gently several time and the elf take a quick couple steps backward to get away from it as vines quickly wrapped up around where he was a few moments ago and twisting into a humanoid shape. "Um, Lumdran? I think nature wants a word with us!" he says as the shambling mound of plant life takes a few steps closer to him while he worked on erecting a ward to keep it away from him.
 
"I got you."


Lumdran chuckles as he slams his staff into the ground. A second later, an intense rush of magical energies rush into the ground. Soon after, the magical energy fills the (I'll say for the sake of naming that it is a spriggan) and causes it to crack, splinter then simply crumble into a pile of leaves and firewood. However, primal magic being primal magic, the same happens to every other tree in the immediate vicinity. Huzzah?


@CoreyXIX
 
How long has it been since Dylexia first woke up in this god forsaken jungle, eighty years now give or take? She remembered when she was still human, a young and eager witch wanting to learn all she could about any type of magic. When she stumbled upon an old grimoire, that is when she learnt of necromancy. She was truly astonished by what she could do with this tyoe of magic and thus she began studying it. A few years of research, studying and practice, she finally thought she was ready for the spells in the grimoire. That was her down fall, the spell she casted ripped her very being apart, tearing apart her flesh and burning her bones with an evil purple flame. She indeed believed she was dead, she still thinks that she is til this very day. When she thought she'd never escape the darkness, she awoke in this strange jungle. After a time she realized that she was now unaging and didn't understand why. Why she was here, why she wasn't aging, why about anything. She learned how to live here and practice her necromancy, her mastering everything in the grimore she found so long ago, it being the only thing she had left of her old life.


Present day, Dylexia was resting on her railing that circled around the treehouse she had made for herself, her other magic she knew, coming in quite handy to make herself a decent home. Taking a long drag from her odd looking pipe, she blw green smoke into the air, her golden hues scanning up into the vine covered trees. Cocking her head to the side she sensed magic in the jungle, more people going on a treasure hunt perhaps? It woukd be their own downfall in the end, many people who came here, who didn't know the terrain usually always lost there life to the jungle and it's inhabitants. She didn't really cafe because in the end, they more or less became apart of her undead legion. This was her defense when problems arose for her, but it had been some time since she had any problems, more creatures feared her now and nobody ever got far enough into the jungle to find her and cause issues. Stilling looking in the direction where she felt the magic, she grew a tad curious as to just who had entered the jungle and what exactly were they after.


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