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Fantasy Well of Wishes | Main IC | [Closed]

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Pozou Artith
Mentions: BriiAngelic BriiAngelic (Helena), The Regal Rper The Regal Rper (Vaal), OrWangatan OrWangatan (Pelea), RedLeftHand36 RedLeftHand36 (Erik), Anne Boolean Anne Boolean (Kiel)| Interactions: Taigakitt Taigakitt (Yo)
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Pozou figured he should have been back on boad The Remourseful Remedy, for he returned to tossing amongst the grass and nodding off whilst riding or perhaps even flying during the day. Any snapping of branches and dark eyes were wide and scanning the surrounding area. His nerves, once again and much more than usual, were suffering after their pursual by the Inquisition, and especially after his own sister get knocked out of the sky. Pozou's wings were trembling once he got back to the gate, after watching Helena practically drag Vaaltari there. Of course, it didn't help that she too collapsed, leaving Pozou to try and explain what happened, all the while feeling he was seeing black spots dotting around him.

The situation was dire, though, what with casualties abound. A few quick breaths, and he aided where necessary. Pirate life forced that in him, and unfortunately his work was just getting started. One sleepless night with watching Vaaltari, others due to the seed of paranoia sprouting within him, and other hours of the day spent crafting what balms and remedies he could on the road. Hence, when they arrived at the Ivory Forest, despite its such beauty, having somewhere to settle and rest his head was a much welcomed gesture.

Though, there proved a problem. He wanted to keep his sister close by, though, Pelea, with her natural curiosity, wanted to explore ruins deep inside the forest. As much as the prospect of exploring ruins full of knowledge and undiscovered culture would have thrilled Pozou, the Quetzacoatl hadn't the energy, fatigue having finally caught up to him and laying its heavy hand upon his head. He had tried to negotiate with Pelea, who wouldn't budge, until it turned into a series of frustrated, high winged gestures, a protest to her even going in the first instance where he couldn't watch her. Though, Vaaltari, who like everyone else had suffered the squaking of the two, offered to keep an eye on his sister whilst exploring the ruins. He would have insisted that he had no need to, but Pozou relented. Two things he owed him now, but he would make that up to him in good time.

So, now, he sat, with Kiel, Erik and Yo around the campfire, each minding their own business. To sit with them hadn't bothered him in the slightest; company at such a precarious time helped to ease him somewhat as he organised his balms and the ingredients he had purchased at the market. Well, and immediately wasted one of the balms by using it on himself. His wings had grown achey again, something he put down to the physical and mental exertion when it came to flying. Nothing a balm wouldn't have helped. He supposed a drink could have eased any woes too, though, he passed on that, feeling he hadn't the stomach for it.

Pozou couldn't help but let his eyes wander to Kiel, and he watched him take a swig of the bottle being passed around before passing it back. He knew his leg had been damaged during the whole situation at Whalesport, and he couldn't help but notice, understandably, he had been down the entire time. Certainly not the chirpy Kiel he met at the bar. He was about to ask after his leg, if there was anything he could do to help, only to hear a rolling slur from Yo.

"Scary...stories?" Pozou asked, and felt himself shudder. Another thing to rack up his nerves.
 
Seeing the unconscious Matu, unnerved her. There hadn’t been anything in this strange land that had truly frightened her before this. She knew nearly all Tembelkans were trained to fight, using the type twos in arenas for sport. Those orbs were beyond even that? Where would those humans have gotten such power? The winged boy, who looked near fainting himself, explained the events to the group. She went to him. She could come up with dozens of excuses, ingratiate herself with him, show compassion in front of the others, learn what damage the lightning could cause to her, and on. But those hadn’t formed before she was at his side. Only a worry. A fear of a lost connection before it could be made.

A basic diagnostic spell, following a current through one’s nervous system was all she knew to help. It’s results did not . She could tell the pathways were working, but none of the signals were flowing correctly. Though some of the pattern reminded her of an Anravo’s restorative sleep. Which Kraugan did not have. Pozou fussed over his external wounds, which was vastly unnecessary, but she hadn’t the heart to tell him. It was apparent the boy felt responsible and idle hands would only let that stress fester. They gathered beside him in the wagon, keeping vigil as the group left. They were accosted by some drunk, ranting on one of their wars. Humans. Of course they would not support their defenders who have aged past their usefulness. Nor even give them peace in death. She felt it would be best to put him out of his obvious misery--if he wished to lose himself to the fog alcohol produced in humans it would conserve resources. Many of the group tossed coins at him, seeming to please the man. Perhaps he would let them leave.

~​

The first night, while others seemed to covet the blasting heat from the fire, Kuma chose the comfort of the horses. Kukumita has blessed her, it was amazing to have the warmth of life around her. To feel the minds near her. The horses were different. Many of them were idle, their concerns simple. Fatigue, whether a boot dug into their limbs or a rein was yanked too hard. As long as they were safe and fed they were content. Even when Kuma spoke to them, they seemed to simply consider her another horse. Others, who she suspected were used to their riders engaging them, were eager to talk. Or perhaps not eager, Uma was willing to rant and curse at her throughout the day--which was just silly, she didn’t ride for the first half. Only the large knight had brought his own horse, Vortigern. The bond between the two were strong; enough to intrigue her. She did not press him on his rider. It was enough to see the bond form without Kukumita’s guidance. Even though they could not speak directly, or Vortigern could not respond, the two seemed to understand each other. Uma was likely similar with her missing rider. It was a kindness that she and Nezumi were bond in death as well.

Over the night, Nezumi overheard more information on their pursuers. Temples and schools. Where did they get their members? The two on watch, Leone and Lorrin, spoke of erasing histories, so it was unlikely they were a full sect; people had to come from outside.. Were the members recruited? Or stolen? Young enough to remember nothing else? Kuma was aware of the power the Sacoro had; without the power of the Sakra to control abuse, what could this group do? Unlike her bonded, Kuma understood their secrecy. They would not know who to trust. Though their investigations were likely to stir up trouble, they had nothing to share with the group. They all knew the Inquisition wanted them dead. She would only worry when they stopped and one of them, or Gwen, disappeared.

~​

The intervening days grew monotonous quickly. She spoke words of no importance with her fellow travelers. Any connection she felt with Kiel and Ayana was weakening. The former seemed to smolder in anger, his kindness lost after his injury. Ayana seemed as cheerful as ever, but to everyone. It seemed like her fellow Matu was holding a grudge over the mask, which was silly, only the birds saw anything on his face, while everyone saw his tail.

She’d started to look forward to the ways that Uma protested their existence. It was humorous to see her buck and expect it to concern her. Even if she fell off it wouldn’t hurt her. Nezumi did not appreciate the bouncing and would often ride within her shoulder, her body geled enough to absorb the shocks. As long as she didn’t attempt to harm the other horses, Kuma let her be.

But it was so slow. Though she had never ridden a horse before, preferring to merely walk or run between towns, she’d expected the trip to be somewhat faster. She did not want to push the horses, such adorable weak things, but boredom was real. She started switching places with Nezumi, allowing the rat to control her body completely, one leg wrapped around the saddle to hold on. Controlling their limbs was similar enough, but the rodent had trouble with even the barest of shifts.

~​

The fourth night gave a change of pace. They’d stopped early, the supplies running low--which she supposed was excusable as they’d been interrupted earlier. The forest was lovely, something that reminded her of home. A ripple of laughter ran through her at the thought of something dangerous, hiding within the lights. Even Nezumi’s nip to not ask for trouble, couldn’t dissuade her too much. She went through the now familiar motions of wiping down Uma and the other horses--they were so inefficient--speaking gently to them, laughing at Nightglow’s playful nuzzle. They were not pack, for pack was of equals, but they filled the hole inside of her. Sleeping against one of their sides eased a pain she had not been able to recognize.

The groups split once more. Some to search for food, while others to explore some ancient human thing. It was the lake that intrigued her, especially the comments of it’s likely cold temperature. So with her satchel stored within a tent, a simple seal left to tell her if it was disturbed, she headed down along the river. The prospect of getting out of this heat sounded heavenly.

Mentions:
The Regal Rper The Regal Rper (Vaal) Arcanist Arcanist (Pozou)
RedLeftHand36 RedLeftHand36 (Vortigern) Jet Jet (Leone) Pik Pik (Lorrin)
Anne Boolean Anne Boolean (Kiel) Jet Jet (Ayana)
Taigakitt Taigakitt (Nightglow)
 
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Kiel Shan

Scary stories, huh? There were a few tales of warning his tribe passed down to the youth which were surely considered frightening. His circadian rhythm made him feel as if it was too early for sharing these in a way that was meant to terrify as opposed to teach, but his surroundings seemed to disagree with him. The sun was indeed setting, with the moon rising in its stead. When the pale white light hit the leaves they seemed to reflect it, and along with the campfire kept the site from being engulfed in darkness. It was a nice touch for safety in an unfamiliar area, and beautiful or romantic even, but a chilling atmosphere it wasn't.

"I have one as well," Kiel spoke up. With how inebriated the woman who made the suggestion was he figured it was now or never; she'd probably go to sleep soon and not long after the rest of the group would follow. There wouldn't really be any bonding or merriment to take part in after that, although at this point he wasn't sure if he wanted to do so anyway.

His gaze shifted over from the woman who was slurring her speech to the feathered man sitting in the circle between them. His light-blue eyes lingered on the avian fellow's small bottles and containers of medicinal balms, lotions, and ointments, and he continued to watch as the man applied one of them onto his wings. He connected it to his own salve that he carried, made from desert flowers and the water inside cacti. It was something he commonly used to heal cuts and gashes left on him during combat; it was so effective that it didn't even leave a scar. Of course, after Gwen's healing had reached its limit and still left the wound on his leg open, he had tried the salve on that as well. Sadly, even after using quite a bit there was still no affect, as well as leaving him low on its stock. He had no choice but to sew it up the best he could and wrap it, hoping time would heal it sooner or later and leave no aftermath.

"There was a girl named Occa. One night, she got into a fight with her parents. No one is really sure what the cause was; perhaps they were unhappy with who she loved, perhaps she traded something important of theirs away, or perhaps it was just some petty squabble. Either way, Occa decided that night she was going to run away.

"After packing up her things and sneaking out of her tent she turned around to take one last look at the campsite of her former tribe. Coincidentally, next to it she noticed three cacti. She then started walking away from the campsite, unsure of where she was going but just wanting to be anywhere else. After a few minutes of walking she felt regret over leaving. She turned around to look back at the campsite and saw it far away above the horizon. She also once again noticed the three cacti. It was curious though, because against the night sky they looked larger than the campsite, although she was sure that they were right next to it. Regardless, seeing the campsite brought back her feelings of rage and she once again continued walking away from her old tribe's settlement.

"After a bit more time, she once again looked back to see how far she had gone. The settlement was completely out of sight at this point but strangely, the three cacti were still visible. In fact, if she remembered correctly, they looked to be closer than they were before. Occa just assumed she was tired and decided to keep going. When she would run into another tribe's settlement she would rest. After what seemed to be hours and no sight of any other tribes Occa felt maybe she had made a mistake. She looked back once again in the direction of the campsite and was shocked to see three cacti, identical to the ones she saw the last two times, standing against the night sky. What's more, they looked to be even closer than the last two times.

"Now Occa was knew something was wrong. She hadn't passed a single cactus during her travels that night, much less three. This time with a quickened pace, the girl continued moving forward. After a few moments she looked over her shoulder once again, praying to not see the cacti, but sadly they were still there, and appeared to have moved even closer. Her pace picked up to a jog, and then a sprint, as she tried to lose them, but every time she looked back the three cacti were still behind her, getting closer and closer with each glance.

"When the sun came up the next morning, no one in the tribe could find Occa. Her parents searched her tent as well as the rest of the campsite, but there was no sign of her. From the few belongings of her that were also missing it became evident that she had run away. Although her parents grieved, knowing the desert was harsh and dangerous during the night, they had to pack up camp and continue moving along with the rest of the tribe. After about half a day's worth of travel, they were shocked to find what looked like Occa's pack. As they rushed over to inspect it they noticed the clothes she had worn the previous night were there too. All her belongings looked to be covered in spines as well, which made sense since they sat in between a group of three cacti."


Arcanist Arcanist Taigakitt Taigakitt
 
Yo Saiwa

YoFC.jpgAfter her suggestion, it seemed to her that Pozou was trembling. Her mind took it as excitement for the fun stories. She knew she was excited to hear what they could tell.

It seemed Kiel wanted to go first, so she set the drink she held in hand and put it on the ground, lest she accidentally drop it. Once he was started, she leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and leaned her chin onto her hands.

When Kiel started to explain the strange cacti that kept getting closer, and closer, she could feel goosebumps crawling up her arms. At the end, and with his enunciation, a shudder started at the base of her spine and shuddered up. She rubbed her arms before bouncing on the log she sat on. The little friend kicked some of the drunkenness from her, though even if she was a bit buzzed, it would not affect her story.

"Kiel! That was so scary!"

She rubbed her chin for a minute as she was thought about how she would start, careful to watch how she said stuff.

Once she settled on something, she smiled wide, "So, this is a scary twist to that children's story that is very popular among Centosians. I read it back home, but there's a ton of versions of it."

She slouched a little, hoping to give some ambient affect of spooky, scary story telling, ready to use her hands for effects, wiggling them down before she started.

"There exists these three beings. Some say they are rifters stuck to this plane of existence, others say they're cannibalistic humans. Either way, they... well, I'll tell in the story.

"A family of three recently moved to Stone's throw. Mom, dad, and a child named Robert. Now, parents in Centos always tell their kids, 'You mustn't stay out past sundown, else you'll get eaten by the rift monsters.-'" Yo wagged her finger as she said the parents' line, for dramatic effect- "Little Robby was feeling a little rebellious, wanting to stay out late and play with his friends. Besides, he liked making trouble, as many kids do.

"His friends are good kids, so they heed their parents warning. After all... They've had a friend go missing before and they didn't want to be next. They tried telling Robby, but he didn't want to listen. He didn't believe the stories and wanted to see the night sky outside, even without them.

"So, off the kids went back home as night crept in. Robby lay in a clearing near his house, looking up as the sky grew darker, and darker. Though, if he had been paying attention, he should have noticed the shadows growing darker, and darker with the night sky, unnaturally creeping closer, and closer to Robby.

"ROBBY!" Yo shouted, hoping to get a pop scare on any of her campfire companions, some birds taking off in flight, screaming their distaste for the sudden shout by the dragonfolk woman, before continuing, "the mother shouted at the top of her lungs, almost frantic.

"Robby sat up, and as he did, all of the creeping shadows suddenly... disappeared? So, he went back into the house, getting an earful from his parents about listening to curfew.

"Scoffing it all away, he went to sleep for the night. Now, the day after seemed pretty normal, but all of his friends were avoiding him, and he couldn't figure out why. There was maybe a small inkling of someone staring at him from afar, though every time he looked, no one was there.

"As the day grew on, the shadows started to get that darker shade, but it was so subtle that Robby never noticed. When Robby was finally alone and he was rounding a building to head home for the night, out popped an unknown man, dressed head to toe in black, a smile so large, it shouldn't have been possible on his face. He looked at Robby, tilting his head at an unnatural angle, drool dripping from his lips, a giggle turning into a heinous laugh before reaching out to grab Robby.

8c61e0278f5f79f7796dd166a2457006.jpg"Robby bolted before this could happen, screaming at the top of his lungs. As he ran and ran, he bumped into another figure, knocking him to the ground. Crying, Robby tried to scramble away, though the man he bumped into seemed familiar, someone he recognized from the town. He bent down, offering Robby his hand, a worried expression on his face, though if he had only looked closer, he would have noticed there was no sparkle in this man's eye.

"Robby, recognizing this man from the town, took his hand as the man said, 'I know a safe place. Let's get you out of here.' Robby nodded, following. But... The man led him out of town, and when Robby started to become uncertain, the grip around his hand tightened and tightened. Robby wouldn't be able to pull away, no matter how hard he tried. The further they got from town, the shadows started closing in, the sun starting to come back down. Those shadows reached until they looked like hands, going to drag him under. The smell of something cooking would catch his nose as they reached a cave, a pot in the middle. It smelled like... cooking oil? Sitting there was the man he tried running from, with another who looked similar. Though, they were completely cloaked in shadows, wicked smiles plastered to their faces, white light replacing eyes and behind their mouth. He turned to look at the one who held his hand, only seeing the same, wide, drooling smile looking back at him as three cackles filled the air."

"No one in Stone's Throw ever heard his screaming, and the only signs that he was every there were his hand prints left in the ground where he fell."
 
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Finally some water!” Jane exclaimed as they finished setting up camp. She looked through the woods towards the river and a huge smile graced her lips as she caught glimpse of the sunset reflecting off the moving water. They had just finished another long journey by land and the sisters missed the water more with every passing day. “Let’s go swimming!” She said, grabbing Rose’s hand. “It’s spring. Far too cold to swim in freshwater.” Rose said, rolling her eyes a little. “You're no fun, Rosie.” Jane pouted, walking towards the center area of their campsite.

They were going to the lake with Kuma and Liam but weren’t fishing like the others were. Rose wanted to go explore the island but Jane begged her to go swimming. Rose followed closely behind her sister and they set off to the lake. Jane was eager to make friends and quickly found their lake companions. “Kuma! Liam!” Jane shouted, spotting them. They had spoken a little on their journey here but not enough for the energetic sister. To Rose, she had talked too much to them. The fewer people that knew her, the better. Stupid Clive Bean or whatever the hell his name is.Are you guys ready to have some fun by the water? We can play games!” Jane said, smiling at Kuma and Liam.

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Gwendolyn sighed, relieved to sleep on a flat surface rather than against Leóne’s back while riding a horse. She was ready to settle down but heard of an ancient delve nearby and was dying to explore it. Leóne wanted to explore the small town on the island but Gwen begged for him to come with her. Thankfully, he agreed and she thanked her rouge with a kiss. Their relationship had flourished on their journey and the mage considered him to be her best friend. She was almost ready to confess her love to him but feared it was too soon.

She and Leóne had finished setting up their camp and went to find the other members of their group that were going to see the delve. Meeting up with Obsidian, Vaal, and Palea at the main area, they set off on their small exploration. Walking through the woods, Gwen stared in awe at the glowing leaves shining in the light of the sunset. She read about the Ivory Forest in her studies and had always wanted to see it in person. As they walked, she picked a few leaves from its branch and studied them. The leaves kept their glow as her fingers gently caressed them, being careful not to rip them. She put the leaves into her pocket to study later. They finally arrived and Gwen gasped at the sight. The ancient ruins were breathtaking and much larger than she expected. “Wow.” She whispered, taking in the scenery.

She went to explore but an unknown voice stopped her in her tracks. Looking to the source, she saw a woman who looked to be of the same species as Stone. Watching as the feline woman jumped from tall ledges, Gwen took a step back unsure of what this persons intentions were. She introduced herself as Myyrea and Gwen looked at her outstretched hand for a moment. She went to step forward but Vaal beat her to it. She watched their interaction closely and instinctively put her hand on her hip. Gripping the small blade she hid there, she looked over to Leóne. Studying his face, she could tell he was on guard as well. Obsidian was next to introduce themselves to Myyrea and Gwen relaxed a little seeing that there was no hostility towards their small group. At least not yet. Leóne stepped forward but was more defensive in his interaction with the catfolk. Biting her lip, Gwen finally spoke up. “I’m Gwendolyn. All we want is to explore and learn about the history of this beautiful place. How can we assist you?” She said, giving the woman a small smile.

Lost Echo Lost Echo Anne Boolean Anne Boolean The Regal Rper The Regal Rper Jet Jet EldridSmith EldridSmith OrWangatan OrWangatan BriiAngelic BriiAngelic
 
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Elves were well versed, but they were foragers more than anything. Animals were only served when dangerous rare-beasts were defeated. That meant fishing was a novel practice that encapsulated Ayana, especially the action-packed speared versions — watching Amalia was extremely entertaining! Ayana cheered when the human thunderously lunged downward, capturing a large water creature with her spear! The performance earned elven applause and a meeped out "Very well done indeed! You are extremely accurate! But it is my turn now!"

Leaning back she 'charged up' her oversized fishing pole and cast the business end forward! The hook launched out and Ayana grinned, envisioning success! But then she noticed an inconvenient snag. Her hook was caught... tangled above among dense maple leaves. "Drats" she whispered as she yanked down once, twice and three times without success. "I will not be defeated, mighty maple tree" she whispered once more, pulling over and over and over again.

No dice.

Ayana glared when she examined her trapped line — no way pulling would do the trick. And so she approached her arboreal nemesis and climbed branches and knotted-bark hand holds with smoothly measured movements. The ascent was elementary and soon she stood on a huge branch beside her tangled fishing line.

With arcane winds Ayana sliced away leaves and freed her trapped hook. Then she dropped down from above as an ignorant daredevil would! But more wind magic lessened descent speeds and made scary landings seamless. Easy enough!

Standing above her pole, Ayana gazed across the river and imagined success. The she declared "Soon I will master this ridiculous device" and measured ranges. Then she prepared her move, a breeze graced the area, and moments became minutes as time seemed to slow down.

Ayana could see trout moving below clear water. She could see grass blades moving in the wind and how lunar leaves beamed from above. She could sense sweet springtime notes playing across her nose and the subtle sense that they were somewhere special. Ayana was zoned. She was sure her move would be true.

Leaning back she 'charged up' once more, and as before she lunged the business end forward! This time her cast avoided treetops which was a good start for sure! But the alternative wasn't any better — not even close. Instead of maple leaves, she was caught on Amalia's steel armor.

Ayana was oblivious and yanked once, twice and three times without success. But soon she realized what.... or rather who she yanked on and stopped dead. Then she loudly laughed, having fun even though the device despised her! And teasing her teammate she belted "Amalia! You obstructed my attack! Are you working with the fish? Have you been undercover this entire time??? I can't believe we've had a traitor in our midst! Unbelievable!" her ending was meant for those beside Amalia, bringing them into the banter. They were good natured, and would probably appreciate humor after many dark days on rough roads.



Anne Boolean Anne Boolean Taigakitt Taigakitt BriiAngelic BriiAngelic
 
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Daisy lurked in the shadows near the fire and felt guilty for it.

She wasn’t part of the group. She was, indeed, lurking. She had joined the group some short time ago, but she hadn’t really been a part of it. She’d given her name and nothing beyond it. The others hadn’t pryed much. And why should they? If you give nothing, you get nothing in return. They had other things to worry about, namingly the Inquisitors that seemed to be chasing them.

Now, these strangers were telling stories. Scary stories. Daisy didn’t quite understand the appeal of the stories themselves, these stories were not as scary as some of the things she'd actually experienced, life was scary enough without adding to it, but she did appreciate the comradery it encouraged.

She had been… out of sorts was a bit of an understatement. The loss of her home and family had understandably hit her hard. She was grieving, she was angry, she was confused. She knew all that, on a rational level, and was angry with herself for having fallen into this mental trap.

She had seen the same in a thousand different people. It was her job, after all. She was a grave keeper. A Rosenbloom. It was her calling to bury the dead with all the honor they deserved, and a little known aspect of that job was dealing with the deceased’s loved ones. She had seen countless grieving widows and widowers, grieving sons and daughters. She knew the stages of grief. She knew what it could do to someone. She just never knew that it could affect her like this. How arrogant she had been to think she would not grieve like everyone else.

But she knew, too, that it wasn’t an excuse for her rudeness, for rude she had been. These strangers had done nothing to warrant ignoring them. Aside from that, Interaction with your peers was one of the sure fire ways to pull you out of your grief, for a little while, anyway. To pull you from that dangerous mire that ensnared the thoughts and sent mortals spiraling into despair when they dwelled on their tragedy alone.

So. She made a decision. She would partake in the meaningless story telling. She adjusted her bandanna, wondering if taking it off would help with the story, but decided against it. She wasn’t ready to explain how she got these scars, to explain her past. But she would make friends or die trying.

She stepped into the firelight as the strange horned woman identified as ‘Yo’ finished her story.

Daisy coughed into her hand.

“Excuse me.” She said, spine straight, her other hand held rigidly behind her back. She wasn’t used to this. She was used to the casual comradery of her family, or the fearful reverence of those who called her to do her job.

“Excuse me.” She said again, “I, as I have stated previously, am Daisy Rosenbloom.”

She stared at the others gathered around the campfire, but could discern nothing in the way they looked at her.

“I would like to participate in this story telling game, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble. I realize I have been quiet these past few days, but I seek to rectify my rude behavior.”

Daisy knew she was being far too formal, but was too nervous to do anything else.

“I have no fictional scary stories of monsters in the dark, but I do have some grim, morbid stories that have actually occurred to me. Hopefully grim will fit the theme of tonight, and my story will suffice.”

When no one stopped her, Daisy began.

“I am… well. I am a gravedigger, to put it in vulgar terms. My entire family is. We seek to ensure the dead are given the respect they deserve when they pass on. To that end we often find ourselves in places where there is no one left to bury the dead.”

She stepped closer to the fire, and her eyes focused on the flickering flames, glazing in remembrance. This had always been one of her worst memories, but now she couldn’t help remembering it fondly. Her parents were still alive in it, after all.

“Once, when I was ten or eleven years old, my family heard of a terrible storm that had wracked Western Centos. Mostly Stowfort and the area north of it. “

“Now, Stowfort had it bad. There were many dead in the areas that were not so elevated, but fortunately for Stowfort they had high walls and places protected from the storm. In addition, they had seen this type of storm before, and had weather wizards poised to warn them of the approaching danger, so the damage was not catastrophic. But still, even with these advantages there were many dead. So while my mother and her sisters stayed in Stowfort to deal with the tragedy there, my father and I were tasked with heading North, to see if the villages there needed our aid.”

Daisy looked up to see how the others were taking her story. It wasn’t quite a ‘scary story’, but it had been scary to her, at the time. Daisy didn’t know any traditional scary stories. Her parents hadn’t seen the need for them.

“They… ah. They did. They did need our aid. The first village we came to was empty of life. The flood waters had overtaken the town, and even days later it had not yet receded.” The fire crackled and popped, warm, like the village hadn’t been.
“ Have you ever smelt an entire village's worth of bodies left to rot in dirty flood water? The smell is a horror story in and of itself, one that I can’t accurately recreate here.”

Daisy frowned, remembering.

“Most of the bodies had been trapped in the houses. Men and women. Children and the elderly. Bloated, drowned bodies floating where they once lived. I was no stranger to death, even then, but not like this. I’d been to battlefields, where more people had died, but the people there were warriors. Fighters. Death was an occupational hazard. I’d seen dead innocents, as well. It happens. But an entire village? Wiped out not by bandits, monsters or demons, but by something so impartial as the weather? It terrified me, down to my very bones. But there was work to be done. My father and I began to collect the bodies, floating them like rafts or dragging them through the knee height--- waist height on me, back then--- water to whatever high ground we could find. I remember having to pierce one man's stomach, to let the gases that had built up there escape, else he would have burst on us during transport.”

Daisy began to speak faster, feeling embarrassed. This wasn’t a scary story. It was just grim and horrifying, but not scary. An unwanted look into her strange childhood. Why had she thought this a good idea?

“A-anyway.” She stammered, “That night, after we had stacked the bodies, found the ones that had been swept away and looked through our records to decide what funerary traditions the people in this region followed, we went to sleep in one of the only houses that had not filled with water during the storm. It was on a hill, and because the hill was unflooded, it was also the place where we had stacked the corpses. Not in the house, but on the slope of the hill.”

She knew what had caused it, now, but the memory of her young fear still chilled her.

“I was not a superstitious child, but that night I could hear the dead moaning in the quiet darkness. My father was sound asleep, and I knew it was near impossible to wake him after a hard day at work, so I crept to the broken window of the house, and saw the mound of corpses in the darkness. It was where the sound was coming from. It had to be. And as I watched, a particularly loud moan escaped from the pile, and several of the bodies rolled off of the mound, as if alive again! There had been no wind, nothing to make them move like that!”

“ I screamed and ran to my father, slapping him on the back of his head until he woke up. But when he did, he was so tired from the day's work that he merely snarled at me and went back to sleep.”

Daisy let loose a weak chuckle.

“So for the rest of the night, I stayed awake, my eyes locked onto the door, convinced the dead were going to pour through and take revenge on me, as they couldn’t take revenge on the impartial weather.”

Daisy coughed into her hand again.

“Of course, it was just gas escaping from the bodies. I should have known that, especially after my father had explained the way that bodies in the water---”

Daisy stopped. They didn’t need to know the mechanics of drowned bodies.

“Anyway. That was my story. I apologize profusely if it wasn’t exactly what we were looking for. I merely sought to participate in the night's activities.”

Stupid! Stupid Daisy! Why was she being so formal? She wasn’t leading a funeral today! It just looked like she had a stick up her ass!

She stood in the firelight, determined to stand there until someone told her to go away. It was so difficult interacting with those who weren’t your supplicants or your family.
 
be85ed7d2d0c93180a150f87cd89592f.jpgBjorn had arrived soon after the medical group hauling several bags of supplies and having been drenched blood having to fight his way through pesky zealots. He then reunited with Freya and traveled with her after selecting his horse: Ember. The name had come from the fact it resold but fiery spirited still, despite being past it's youth it's strength persisted, at the obvious kinship Bjorn chose it and the horse, despite it's normal behavior to the astonishment of the keeper, was friendly and cooperative.
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Bjorn grinned widely as they arrived into the beautiful ivory forest, he had wished to visit this beautiful realm and finally they had. While most came for the beauty and tranquility, which he greatly enjoyed, he came to hunt the famous black boar of the white forest, the Krak'thum. Unlike normal boar they were solely carnivores and they grew up To the height of lesser men (5') with razor tusks and jagged teeth. Even seasoned hunters treated them with extreme caution due to their feral rage. Bjorn kissed his wife goodbye and went to the hunting party as he summoned his boar spear from his ring, which he dubbed the instant armory. It held numerous weapons and was one of three, all family heirlooms, for no Hamrammr leader would truly be disarmed, the other two were in the hands of his eldest and next eldest, and when he finally settled down the final one would be passed down to his final son.
He soon arrived with a large smile and his boar spear in hand. While it looked like a normal long spear (10' with a 1' blade), it had two protruding prongs extending out from the shaft six inches behind the blade to stop the boars charge, whereas it would otherwise slide down the spear and attack the user.
He turned to the party upon arrival. "Are you here to hunt a Krak'thum or just normal game? I'm planning on bringing back a trophy for my grandkids to marvel and and be inspired by."
Taigakitt Taigakitt Pik Pik Jet Jet BriiAngelic BriiAngelic
 

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    Tags:
    Amelia ( Anne Boolean Anne Boolean ) Freya ( Taigakitt Taigakitt ) Ayana ( Jet Jet ) Jace ( MythyDW MythyDW )
    ~ Riverside ~
    Don't Think Twice || Helena's CS File

    Spearfishing was difficult but it was the preferred method of river fishing. She was surprised they had so many spare spears to fish with but she wasn’t going to ask she grabbed a barrel bringing it with as she expected very little from her own efforts, she may have been on her own and fending well but typically Roland was the one that managed to catch the bulk of their haul, but she was traveling to the river with two women that seemed to have more than enough muscle to stab a few fish. She didn’t know what to think about the elven woman and the male they had met up with along the way but she supposed if they wanted to fish they were probably fairly good at it. Besides the box they had been given did not seem as though it was big enough to feed a trope of their size.

    Part of her wondered just why Roland wanted to hunt instead of fish, he typically loved it. But she supposed fishing required removing their cloaks. Besides he’d been following Lorrin like a baby duckling, which was quite adorable. Still one of the warrior women seemed adamant on not removing their own armor. She didn’t question though, everyone had their secrets. Herself especially.

    As she set up near the river she looked at the other woman. She resolved to at least get enough to feed a seventh of the trope. Realistically with five fishers they should each need a fifth but she knew their hulls would not be staying even. She drew up the spear only barely holding it right. It seemed the elven woman was intent on using a fishing pole in the river, which means that the scores would truly be quite uneven.

    “Darling I don’t think…”

    Already caught in the tree. She let out a small giggle as she watched the highly animated girl work her way around the fishing pole. She let the girl enjoy herself deciding that she would need to aim a bit higher than a seventh after all. With her cloak hanging tight by the shore she walked into the riverbed. It got deeper further in so she would aim to the middle. With both hands she brought the spear down more violently than she probably needed to.

    Still she managed to get a fish on her first strike. She took it and placed it in the barrel heading right back in. She was a few strikes in before she got her next fish and was starting to see that she might need some pointers.

    “How many fish do you think we need to collect for a proper haul? We have what about thirty? Forty? Richard seems to keep picking up more conscripters.”
 
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Amalia Winters

Amalia had noticed some familiar faces tagging along to the riverside as they walked, but had been too focused on catching enough for their rations than to chat with the others. When she saw Freya approach the rushing water, a dwarven woman from the north she had gotten momentarily acquainted with during their traveling together, the armored woman gave a small wave. Whatever conversation was or wasn't about to ensue though was given a backseat when the energetic little elf woman stepped up to the shore with a fishing pole. She seemed to have been watching Amalia, and even went on to compliment her efforts.

"Oh... well, thank you," the knight responded. Behind her mask a smile came across her face at the determination Ayana had, though when the woman picked up a fishing rod as her method of catching it turned more into a look of concern. The hook may get snagged on rocks and foliage as it's carried along by the rushing water, and fish may simply pass it by as they make their way downstream. Still, Amalia didn't want to crush the woman's enthusiasm so she just watched as Ayana attempted to cast. It seemed the petite lady was fairly new to pole fishing in general, as she cast with too much force and had her hook get caught in the branches above. Believing experience to be the best teacher Amalia let her be, and watched her climb the tree to free the hook. When she returned to the ground and cast again though, it was sadly still too forceful. This time the hook snagged on Amalia's own armor, which she was thankful to have as it protected her from potentially having her skin pierced by it. She simply stood still with an amused expression under her helmet as Ayana tugged at her before eventually realizing where the hook actually went. The armor clad woman let out a soft chuckle at the words of jest from the elf before adding on, "Drat! I thought my armor would cover up my gills!"

Finally she decided now was the time to step in. "Your casting is too forceful," she explained. "The river isn't that wide and the hook isn't that heavy. Just a swift motion with one arm as if you're tossing a ball is necessary." She went on to demonstrate with the makeshift spear in her hand. "Using a pole to fish in a flowing river isn't optimal either. The hook can get snagged on rocks or plants as it's carried by the current, and fish will most likely just be carried past the hook by it before noticing. Perhaps you should try spear fishing instead."

Amalia then took notice of the lavender-haired woman who also seemed to be struggling, although thankfully she was using a spear. "You don't need to thrust so forcefully," she said as she waded through the water to stand beside her. "Fish have soft flesh. A swift single-armed strike will surely pierce through them. What's important is timing and accuracy, which is sacrificed when too much emphasis is put on power." Just like with Ayana she once again demonstrated with a quick thrust downwards and pulled up a skewered fish. "As for how many we need, I'm unsure. Fish don't stay fresh for long. When on longer patrols my troop often simply hunted and foraged for only the night to avoid waste, unless we were going through a particularly barren terrain. That doesn't seem to be the case though, at least based off of the path planned by Richard and Lucien."

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Pelea Artith
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The ride out of the port was foggy. Pelea remembered the panic of hot air and the cold wall against her back, but everything else was a bit fuzzy. Uncinciousness took her, but only for a minute or so. When she regained her sight, it was in the massive arms of some... guy? Someone she knew nothing about, but someone who saved her nonetheless. After rearranging her thoughts, Pozou yanked her into a tight hug and started barraging her with insults of her carelessness.

After profusely thanking and apologizing to Vaaltari, Pelea found work in helping to steak out a camping spot. It didn't take long for her to overhear the news of the ancient ruins. Now while Pelea didn't read all to much, she did find joy in adventure novels. Brave knights and dangerous quests and piles of gold and such, so when these "ancient ruins" came around, there was no hesitation. She immediately signed up, much to the chagrin of her brother. "Haven't you had enough adventure for one day? Be smart about this Pelea." Blah, blah, blah, boring!

To her delight, Vaaltari was going too! It was an awful thought, but maybe if they got into trouble, Pelea could repay him by saving his life. Now of course she truly hoped that there would be no such need for the saving of lives but, Pelea hated leaving debts unpaid. Some others were going too. Among them was a roguish looking lad, a woman made of stone, a cat person (who Pelea found very scary), and a blonde mage-looking woman. There seemed to be some kind of shuffle happening. Something about the adventuring group owing some favor or whatever.

"Look I'm just here for an adventure and a giant pile of mysterious ruins seems like a pretty good one to me. If whatever you want us to do is gonna give me a better campfire story, then I'll do that."

Mentions: Arcanist Arcanist Sarahspn Sarahspn Jet Jet The Regal Rper The Regal Rper
Interactions: BriiAngelic BriiAngelic
 
1592972290302.png As Liam was about to respond to the pirate girls the call to head out echoed through the camp causing his face to fall, he wanted to make friends with the pair as they seemed nice. "I-I guess I-I'll see you later." He declared with a polite smile, though his tone portrayed his unwillingness to leave. However despite how he felt he slithered off to one of the carriages that could hold him without him being an issue or burden with his large tail.
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As the caravan arrived in the Ivory Forest Liam's mouth fell open at the sight. It was just so pretty! As he lacked an extensive education due to his exile and shunning he was unaware such wonderful places existed before his travels, even then nothing compared to this. He immediately slithered out of the carriage and onto the shores of the lake where he coiled up and "sat down" where he basked in the views under a large ivory tree which draped over the water allowing a shady location for fish, birds, and wildlife to play and flit about I'm the idyllic scenery. He didn't have to worry about setting up a tent or bothering with anything important as he lived as he always did: In the moment. He never used tents anyways, he could comfortably sleep under the stars or inside a carriage unlike most others. His admiration and attention to the natural wonders blinded him to the nearby proximity of Kuma entirely, and he wasn't even aware of their presence until Jane called out to both of them. He smiled and waved at them as they approached. Jane asked about games and if they were ready to have fun. "A-Ah Y-Yes! W-What games would we be playing?" He responded, he felt somewhat comfortable with the pair so his stuttering wasn't as bad as usual. However now his concerns rose as he didn't know many games due to his history.
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Pozou Artith
Mentions: OrWangatan OrWangatan (Pelea) | Interactions: Anne Boolean Anne Boolean (Kiel), Taigakitt Taigakitt (Yo), Fred Colon Fred Colon (Daisy)

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Pozou sat, unsure of whether to pack up his ointments, or reapply his balms, or return to concocting new medicines as each of the stories circled the campfire. He was sure Kiel had spied them at one point, and he would have offered up some gladly, had the weaving of spooky stories not begun.

First was Kiel's story, of Occa, and her disappearance. Kiel had told it with such a calm tone, not a single waver or point of hesitation. It was a story he had heard before and committed so easily to mind. His feathers hadn't been overly ruffled at the story, but that wasn't to say that they hadn't been at all. Pozou had forced himself to keep his body stiff through the story, though, he felt himself tremble at the mention of Occa's belongings being found between the three cacti. Disappearances without clear indications of what happened, of no evidence being left behind, had always frightened him. He had heard of people disappearing overnight and without a trace before. Kidnapped in the night, murdered and buried so far below the ground that they had been literally wiped off the face of the Centos. Plus, own sister disappeared overnight without so much of a goodbye or a hint of where she flew off to. The disappearance of Pelea and Occa seemed to make succint connections to one another in his mind, and he was glad Kiel had wrapped up the story soon.

Pozou wasn't quite safe from the spooky stories. It was Yo's turn next, and if he was starting to tremble before, he started to do more so when she delivered her story. A twist on an old children's story that circurled Centos frequently. Like any other scary story that was told to him, he remained on edge. Though, like Kiel's delivery, Yo's had an effect on him too. Her narration crisp, pausing only to gesture, or change her tone...when she shouted, he jumped, and a deep-seated squawk left his mouth and joined the very distant cousins that had flown off in their own fear. Pozou's cheeks flamed, and he cleared his throat as he shuffled, determined to bury himself beneath his wings. The rest of the story hadn't given him much comfort. Another disappearance, but with worse consequences. He swallowed back.

Soon enough, it would be his turn to tell a story. He wasn't sure if his poor Quetzola heart would give out before then, but he couldn't not give them something to be equally spooked by. He had to think of something...perhaps a tale from one of the many that were weaved at Stowfort Medical Academy. The students there, often inebriated and bored themselves, would return and spend the night weaving ghost stories. All while Pozou either sat with them, or lay down, listening, and afraid to face the wall of his bunk, should one of the many ghostly inhabitants pluck him from his bed...

A shadowy figure, and a cough ellicited another jerk from the Quetzola, who backed up against the log, his face painted pale. Though, he let out a loud sigh at his recognition - and her own introduction - of Daisy. He remembered she had joined them somewhere along the way on this trip. He couldn't remember where, mainy because days and hours melded into each other in his fatigued figure and shifting body clock. Pozou hadn't objected to another story as much as he may have desired to. In fact, he couldn't, for he couldn't seem to let the words out. He soon settled as Daisy took her turn to tell a story, not rooted in monsters but in morbid reality.

Bodies. It had been the one thing, as a not-so-qualified doctor, that still sent his blood as cold as corpses were. He had seen bodies from when he was younger, washed up on Salt Rock, after Quetzola ventured too far out and had drowned, washing back in with the tide. He had to work with a cold body in his early years at the Academy, an act that had made him ill for days. Plenty of bodies when it came to pirating, that they had to toss to sea if they died onboard. Death was a stench that seemed to follow men like Pozou everywhere, one that was attached to him even now, with no amount of scrubbing or anything else to make it evaporate. Quetzolas never so much as looked at bodies, unless they had to where foul play was involved. They were burned, and what ashes had been left behind were taken to the highest point of the sky and scattered to the wind, to fly once more. Their bodies were tainted vessels, according to the myriad of stories about their not-so-benevolent god punishing the first generation for straying from their duty. There was no point in keeping them or examining them if they were reminders of such mistakes.

As much as corpses made him feel uneasy at the best of times, Pozou listened with intent to Daisy's story. He shivered at the thought of piling bodies, especially after a devastating storm. A town devoided of life, quite literally washed away, with bloated bodies boating in a residue sea. Even worse, Daisy was no more than a child dealing with this kind of situation. How a child could have dealt with that, and a twenty-something year old bird-man, was strangely ironic to him. He brought his knees up close, wincing slightly at how stiff they had gotten sitting, and rested his head upon them as he listened. He grimaced at the description of moaning, moving corpses. Pozou knew as well as Daisy what it was that caused it, but he heard horror stories in Stowfort about people raising the dead with dark magic, rumours he never quite believed, but never discounted either.

Daisy had finished her story, and a silence lingered amongst the group. Pozou shuffled slightly, his voice sounding foreign to him as he spoke, for he hadn't in some time since this all began. "It's still scary, though. All those bodies. Just in a different sense, I suppose," Pozou murmured, drawing dirt from the ground and into a taloned nail. "Morbid scary, I'd say. I'm no good with anything scary, scary monsters or strewn bodies otherwise." In his pause, he wondered what story he would tell.

"I suppose it's my turn," Pozou sighed, rolling his shoulders back. "I...spent a few years at Stowfort's Medical Academy. Four, actually, but that isn't important. But it's said an unsettled spirit is trapped within the Academy's grounds. A doctor who died before one of a thesis of his - I think it was on some...disease, or something - could be completed. Heart attack, I believe--"Or was it something else? He couldn't quite remembered, but it didn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things.

"Anyway. Stowfort has this story floating around about all these strange noises at night. Banging, creaking, and groaning, usually coming from the mortuary where we keep bodies to be examiend. Though, people always put it down to how old the building actually is, how it creaks, and everything. But apparently, one student who had been up late studying had ventured into the archives to grab some of the materials she needed. But she could hear this same groaning that came from the mortuary all the time and ventured in further to investigate. The further she went in, she witnessed books falling to the floor, and pages being strewn and thrown around. At first she thought it was just another student playing pranks on him, naturally, but no one else was in the archives that late at night. When a book was thrown her way, she fled the archives completely."

"The next night though, she built up her courage to return. It was the same case this time, books were lying everywhere, pages torn and flying around the room. Only this time, she came across pages of the thesis that the dead doctor had been working on, and she suddenly had an urge to look more into it. She started pouring her effort into it, coming up with hypotheses, running tests, comparing findings with other studies, so on and so forth. But all she did was hit walls. When one study took her down one path, it led her to a dead end. Tests came back different from what she needed to prove any hypothesis of hers. Records on the disease seemed to be missing, or hadn't existed at all in the first place. And yet, that was all she had dedicated her time to. Day and night, only pausing for short rests, maybe something to eat and drink, but that was it. The girl was wilting, and she isolated herself for so long. She was going crazy by the day. The strange happenings still occured at night, but that hadn't been the focus for her anymore."

"Eventually, she locked herself away in archives. No one could get in to her, or through to her that matter, for she had managed to block off the doors to the room. By the time they had managed to get in there, they had found her, dead, for maybe some time, and with all this writing across the floor, and the walls, and the even books and scrolls and their shelves. Calculations, hypotheses, facts and figures, all related to that thesis the doctor wrote. They had to close off archives for months, understandably, and so many investigations were opened up. What had caused such an obsession and what even led her to the point she was at."


Pozou rubbed the back of his neck. "All the teachers at the Academy disclaim something like that ever happening. They said a girl died, yes, but there was no foul play or nothing suspicious around the matter, just ill health. Then again, others say Stowfort have this pact not to talk about the suspicious murders that went on, a whole big conspiracy theory around the matter...so, no one knows for sure if there's this curse hanging over Stowfort or not..."

Did Pozou even tell it right? It had been that long since he heard the story that the details were fuzzy in his mind. It felt scarier to him years ago, perhaps when he was a young and budding and naive Quetzola ready to start his training. Now that he thought about it, his delivery might have been...bland. Much more so than anyone else with their own stories.
 
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Kiel Shan

After Kiel had finished telling his story it seemed he had a fan. Yo expressed how scary the tale was and earned a small smile from the man in return. He was glad she was enjoying herself since she had been the one to suggest this storytelling session in the first place.

She then took the opportunity to spin her own tale, apparently one that was popular in Centos. It started off normal enough, with a boy disobeying his parents, and as Kiel listened he wondered if some variant of this had made it to his homeland too. The blue-haired man jumped at the woman's screeching of the main character's name, and had a frown on his face. It lasted for but a second though, as the sound of the Quetzola to his side squawking caused him to let out a small chuckle. As he continued listening a scowl came on his face as the story went in a direction he wasn't expecting. The twist ending wasn't what he was fixated on, but more so the methods of the killers.

"... But if they could control shadows why did they need to take him in person?" His light blue eyes looked to Yo. Before he could get an answer though it seemed a newcomer had joined the circle around the fireplace.

The woman reintroduced herself as Daisy and apologized for not being very social so far along their travels. Kiel didn't particularly mind, nor could he in good faith as he had been quite anti-social lately as well due to what had happened to his leg. He also didn't mind when the woman asked to partake in the storytelling and then went ahead to share.

It was different from the others, as it wasn't a local legend or fairytale, but rather a memory. He listened as the woman talked about a particularly gruesome incident from her childhood, one that she was thrown into because of her family's rather morbid line of work. The description of death and corpses wasn't so much scary to Kiel as it was just saddening. It was sad that so much precious life was lost, and it was sad that a young girl's innocence was ruined that day. When Daisy started talking about the motion and moaning coming from the stacked up bodies Kiel thought that something supernatural was going to happen, and the story would finally get scary. It certainly would have been if Daisy had left it as a mystery as to the reason why, but Kiel appreciated the honesty that came with her explanation.

"That sounds like a terrifying thing to go through," he said after she had finished. "The sounds and movement coming from the bodies as well as seeing all that death..." He shifted to the side, closer to the Quetzola to give the woman some space to sit.

Finally, it was Pozou's turn to share. He went on to recount a story from his time at the Medical Academy at Stowfort. It was about a girl who wandered into a dead professor's haunted study and then became obsessed with his research or whatever. If Kiel had to wager a guess, she got possessed by the professor's ghost but that wasn't the most interesting part of the story for him. His attention was still on the introduction, where Pozou stated he had gone to an academy for medicine.

"Oh, you're a doctor?" he asked. The whole collection of balms now made sense, although Kiel would have also believe that the bird-man was some sort of alternate medicine nut. His gaze shot down to the bandages wrapped around his thigh and then back up at Pozou before he peered around to look at everyone else sitting around the fire. He, of course, wanted to ask the man to examine the wound right this instant, but figured it would be rude to pull him out of the group and ask him to work during some time meant for relaxing. Resolving to ask after they separate, Kiel instead tried to remember some details from the story to return to the original topic of discussion.

"You said there were mysterious murders? And a curse and conspiracy? What's all that about?"

Arcanist Arcanist Taigakitt Taigakitt Fred Colon Fred Colon
 
The forest sounded different. It was not the dry rustle of secrets the trees here held when she had arrived, nor the softer whispers of growth they held now. These leaves held a crispness to their notes. With her curiosity bypassing her thought, Kuma lifted an arm, allowing it to stretch until she could snag a leaf. The luminescence of it faded as it reached her. The veins within it were the last to go dark. Promising herself to take samples, she let the leaf drop, an eye watching as it fluttered to the ground.

The younger girl’s shout did not surprise her, within hours it was obvious Jane was an eager pup, wanting to engage with the world. It was almost a surprise that her legs could keep up with her desire to rush forward, but the tether of her sister was too strong. The Berkkag envied the two. The pack was raised acknowledging they would split. Within a house or between others. Never like this, without any contact. Without...she shook it off, forcing the thoughts back.

They arrived to see the snake lounging at the water’s edge. Nezumi tittered in her pocket, complaining of his existence, even if she trusted Kuma’s defense. She would not be spending as much time on the shoreline as she’d planned; it was foolish to risk a snake’s appetite. Especially one where you could see no bulge. As Kuma pulled her shirt overhead, the rat pressed against her side, being absorbed within quickly., the blue skin returning smooth. Though she could not breathe, unless her muzzle was outside, even a basic rat could hold their breath for three minutes. The two of them knew it’d be less time for them to enter the water. Kuma’s pants followed quickly, her entirely smooth body revealed for a moment before she entered the water. A ripple of pleasure ran through the Berkkag: it was reflected in her voice, “As long as I don’t have to leave this water, I will join you.” Nezumi was released as her hips were covered, swimming forward easily as Kuma went deeper.

EldridSmith EldridSmith Sarahspn Sarahspn
 
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Pozou Artith
Mentions: -| Interactions: Anne Boolean Anne Boolean (Kiel), Taigakitt Taigakitt (Yo), Fred Colon Fred Colon (Daisy)

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Pozou hadn't minded Kiel's shifting towards him, since it was to make room for another guest around the campfire. In fact, even if they intimately close to touch, he hadn't minded. He spent several winters, often enclosed in the wings of his huddled Quetzola family.

At first, he had been confused by Kiel's surprise at him being a doctor. He had figured his time hunched over making and applying balms, or even tending to Vaal would have made that obvious. Then again, he hadn't spoken to Kiel since that night in the tavern a few nights previously. In fact, he barely spoke to anyone, as if he was afraid of him and sister. Who they were, what they had been doing and whom they had been associated with. Then again, the two of them were unsuspecting to most of the groups. The two pirate sisters that had joined the rest of the brigade, perhaps, was another question, though, they would deal with that when the matter arose.

Back to the matter at hand, with his thoughts having run away with him again, Pozou looked to him and nodded, "That's right." That's false, a voice in his head countered. Practically, he was. He had to learn on the job, and from mistakes he had made, though, all doctors were prone to that. As for his liscence...well, that was a matter best left unspoken. Pozou was confident enough in his abilities, even if he had missed out on finishing his studies as a whole. At least he had worldly experience. Though, he couldn't help but notice Kiel gaze down to his bandages. That gaze down told him that something about his leg was still bothering him. He would have asked if he needed to have it looked at, though, after Kiel scanned the figures of Yo and Daisy, he had moved on from thoughts of his legs.

"M-murders? O-oh, yes, at Stowfort..." Pozou mumbled, rubbing the back of his head, as he shared this information with Yo and Daisy. "It's thought that ghost story was inspired by one of the apparent murders went on. Some students had been found dead in the library, though, it was by asphyxiation, and there hadn't been any blood involved. Investigations into it were quickly wrapped up, leading people to think the Academy had covered up something up that was a lot more sinister. Of course, those kind of thoughts birth all sorts of wild theories. People even started saying the Professor mentioned in the story was based on a real Professor that had murdered those students, and managed to cover it up." He sighed. "It's never really been confirmed for sure though. I never thought to look into it more either...gives me chills just thinking about it."
 
Daisy was relieved when Kiel scooted aside for her to sit. She was even more relieved when they made polite, vaguely interested comments, before moving on to the next story. She wasn't looking to make a splash, anyway. Just stop being so anti-social.

She sat down next to Kiel and listened to Pozou's story. She'd heard this one, surprisingly. She passed through Stowfort from time to time. It was a popular tale.

"Thank you for sharing." Daisy said, nodding her head at Pozou. "It's quite impressive that you're a doctor. Hopefully that means no one in the group will need my services."

Daisy smiled, to show that it was a joke, but then remembered the bandanna around her mouth concealed it, and laughed instead, artificially, belatedly, awkwardly.

"That was a joke." Daisy explained a second later, to make sure everyone understood, and then paused again.

"Sort of. If someone does die I will be sure to perform all of your preferred funeral rights or, if you do not have preferences, the rights of your apparent culture. I have memorized every funeral right in the known world. Even some that are hyper specific to a very small group of people. N-not that I expect anyone to die." Though that wast entirely true. Not if her uncle was seeking the same thing as these people. She shook her head.

How did people do this? Relate to strangers without being safe in your position? Everyone respected the funeral director, but no one tried to make friends with them.

"But how about the rest of you?" She asked, turning towards Yo and Kiel. "Do you have any specialities?"
Daisy tried to make herself more comfortable. She took her shovel off of her back and planted Sombers shovel head into the ground in front of her. Then she folded her hands on the top of it's handle and rested her head on her hands. Simply touching Somber calmed her down. It might as well have been family. The last family she had. Daisy and Somber, last of the Rosenblooms.
Interactions: Yo, Pozou, Kiel
 
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Durham Radameer
'People call me Rada'

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The cabin was cluttered. There were random pots and pans, bundled branches and antlers strewn about — not to mention soil bags. Radameer loved soil bags because 'dirt smells nice'. He was completely insane but also correct.

Many animal heads decorated the cabin too. Durham was no slouch. A dozen animals were and each one was more dangerous than the last. Soon another would be added — whenever that damned boar reared his ugly head again. Maybe today would be the lucky day? Jace could help and get his damned feet wet. The bloody greenhorn.

Walking from the cabin, Radameer looked around and mumbled something about salamanders. The bastards could never be trusted, but for now he focused on Jace. The boy was somewhere outside and Durham was worried. So he paced below glow leaves and shouted out "Jace where you go? Government nab-ya?"

There was an honest chance that Jace was just.... inside the cabin in his room, but Radameer was convinced otherwise. Several long minutes had gone without a word from the younger man, and the hermit was sure something dangerous had come. Maybe the Inquisition was here? Bounty hunters could be there too, or savage moon creatures?

Durham wondered about the Long-Legger too. Sightings were rare and drawings were always unclear, but the rumored ape was three meters of dense-packed muscle. A lethal combination.

As worry tensed Radameer, he thought about the good times. About the menial labor he passed down to the northerner, and about how easy everything was when someone was around to help. He needed his worker and shouted out "Jace! Jace you smelly infant! Where are you? Did the Long-Legger get you??? Jace! Jaaaaaaaaace!"




MythyDW MythyDW
 
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< Jet Jet >

Jace hadn't gone far. No, he'd just been sitting atop the roof of Rada's cottage, sharpening some random stick he'd found with the knife he'd been gifted long ago. The stick was going to be for his next fishing trip - sometimes the piscine types were rather stubborn and refused to bite the hook, so he had to get a bit more... aggressive. Even so, when the hermit started to yell out for him he sighed softly before sheathing his knife and jumping to the ground. He kept the fishing spear in his hand - no good reason to let it go to waste - and stepped into the building that smelt strongly of earth.

"No, Rada. The long-legger didn't catch me. I told you I'm too fast for him," the young rogue told the hermit as he closed the door - he had a fondness for the man, who had taken him in despite the danger of bounty hunters. Despite that fondness Jace felt that he would need to move on soon. Rada didn't have any coin to pay him with, and he wasn't going to go snooping around for something to steal. Only the rich and snobby got his attention. He just wasn't sure how to break the news to him.

"Did you need something?"​
 
Yo Saiwa

YoFC.jpgYo had fun telling her story, and was noticing the reactions of Pozou as she was telling it. Honestly, she was happy she managed to frighten at least one person. Though the desert boy seemed to have misgivings about her story, which caused her to scowl, going into thought. She thought she had told it well, but there were so many versions, and she felt this one was the most scary to tell. It had to have been something she had done, to not make it clear. She was trying to paint the picture that these three monsters, or whatever, like to toy with their prey. She'll have to revisit the story on another night and attempt a different approach.

Taking a rather large swig of the drink she had, wetting her tired throat, she noticed the quiet girl come forward. Yo had known her as Daisy, and Yo had introduced herself prior to tonight. Though, unsure of the woman's feelings, what with her face being covered, she hadn't been able to tell if her company would have been happily kept, so Yo had kept some restraint. She learned her lesson after Liam.

When Daisy started to speak, Yo bounced on her log stump, excited to hear more stories, and potentially add a new friend to her and Lorrin's roster.

When Daisy re-introduced herself, Yo waved her hand, "Hiiii Daisy." Must of been quite the tone flip for Yo, going from serious story-teller, back to actually looking drunk. That was how much Yo wanted her story to be successful.

As Daisy explained the nature of her story, Yo stopped bouncing as much, just so she can get back into scary-story-telling-mood time, staring intently at Daisy, sipping her drink carefully. She didn't want to accidentally end up splashing herself and smelling like alcohol all night long. Well, her breath is going to obviously smell like alcohol, but that particular thought had not crossed the dragonfolk's mind.

As Daisy told her scary story... well, memory, Yo was sucked in. Yo felt Daisy's attitude and rigid expression added to the mood of what she was telling.

When Daisy asked them a question, Yo couldn't tell if it was rhetoric or not, but she couldn't leave it unanswered, so she had shook her head in response. She had not been witness to hurricane, severe flooding acts of nature.

Yo wasn't sure if Daisy was telling of the dead coming back to life again. In fact, Yo couldn't even imagine it. She'd read plenty of books, some might have had theories of that being possible. Necromancy, she felt, didn't really count to an actual dead person coming back to life of their own volition.

Of course, once Daisy explained why the bodies were moving, Yo had released a sigh. Granted, before the relief, it was still a pretty scary thought.

One thing Yo couldn't help but notice was the coughing that the other woman was doing. Was she sick? Her throat tired? Yo looked down at her drink, contemplating a thought.

As Pozou told his story, Yo had killed another drink between Daisy's start of her story, to the end of Pozou's. To her, it sounded like a tale about a library being haunted by the dead doctor, to move on to possessing the girl, just to keep researching what they were passionate about. The idea of becoming possessed to insanity, wasting away, did not suit Yo.

Two fictional tales, a tale from life, and a tale that might have come from life. She felt that was a pretty good mix of different kinds of scary stories. She looked over at Daisy as she had spoken up, making what sounded to be a mysterious comment, followed by a laugh. Tilting her head, she blinked. The clarification of being a joke soothed Yo's minute confusion.

When asked about her specialties, Yo's hand gently played with the necklace that sat at the base of her throat. Her family specialized in a certain kind of magic, and of course, she was working on it as well. Did that count?

Not wanting to leave that unanswered, she stood up, and sat specifically next to Daisy after dragging the log she was sitting on as close as she could. Not that she really needed to drag the log. She might have been close enough anyway. "I have good defenshive magic. Shtab me!"

Yo held her arm out in front of Daisy, trying to look dead serious about her request. As she had held her arm out, she ended up leaning closer to the other woman.
 
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Kiel Shan

Kiel's eyes narrowed as he heard the avian man explain the potential origins behind his tale. "Hmm... interesting..." he simply said when the other had finished talking. "Well, it was probably for the best you didn't do more digging. You may have possibly been the killer's next victim." The macabre sentence was stated rather matter-of-fact-ly.

The topic of death seemed to linger though as Daisy commented on Pozou's profession and then make a joke about her own. When she said she was familiar with many cultures' last rights the light-blue-haired man wondered if she was familiar with the many desert tribes'. His own tribe didn't have one that was particularly interesting or complicated, but the people of the desert would often cremate their dead and scatter the ashes on the wind. Burying bodies in shifting sands was not optimal.

"Well, we have some pretty powerful people after us," Kiel explained, assuming that Daisy probably hadn't been confronted by the Inquisition like his group had. "I think your services might be more necessary than you believe." Once again, the macabre sentence was stated very matter-of-fact-ly.

"I'm a dancer," he said when Daisy asked the rest of the group of their talents and occupation. "Well... I hope to still be sometime soon..." His light-blue-eyes shifted down to his bandaged leg and then back over to Pozou.

When Yo spoke up, his gaze shot over to her at the mention of stabbing. "I think it's about time we call it a night," he suggested, taking note of the woman's intoxicated state. "We don't need any unnecessary casualties hindering our journey." His gaze once again turned to the Quetzola. "Would you mind coming to my tent?" he asked. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to take a look at my leg. It's been three days since the injury not and I've treated it with very basic first aid knowledge, but I'd like to make sure nothing I've done is preventing it or slowing it down from healing." He assumed since the man was a doctor and joined their entourage he would be willing to look after his comrades for free, but in order to be more convincing Kiel added on, "I'll even pay if you need. I don't have much gold and am not carrying many valuables, but you can see what I have and take what you like."

Fred Colon Fred Colon Arcanist Arcanist Taigakitt Taigakitt
 
Pozou Artith
Mentions: Fred Colon Fred Colon (Daisy)| Interactions: Anne Boolean Anne Boolean (Kiel), Taigakitt Taigakitt (Yo)

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The Quetzola couldn't help but wonder if Kiel questioned the validity of the story - though, he would admit, he could never quite confirm it with the different sources and tellings of it that circled the spires of Stowfort. He cleared his throat and nodded, murmuring, "Perhaps I would have been..." The thought of going mad or being murdered certainly ruffled the avian's feathers.

Pozou managed a smile at Daisy, who expressed how impressed she had been in his profession. Or rather, so-called, profession. He shifted on his seat, though, remembered Kiel had moved closer to him and stilled. At her next comment, he couldn't help but stare for a moment, until realisation crossed his face. A nervous chuckle released itself over the campfire between them all. "O-oh, yes, I see..." Though, she did express, quite seriously, should anything go wrong, she would perform the funeral rites as per cultural traditions, or whichever way anyone would want them. Daisy clearly expressed a profound and niche knowledge, one that was useful, but he hoped didn't have to be used here. He cleared his throat again, "Well, hopefully that won't be the case," he said to Kiel, before he managed a nervous chuckle, "and I can live up to my profession..." Though, he knew himself, deep down, 'doctor' was not a title so prestigiously awarded to him as was more thrust onto him, given his situation.

Pozou couldn't help but note the sadness in Kiel's tone, and understandably so. It seemed his earlier thought was right; his leg was still giving him some bother. A dancer needed his legs, after all. Or, well, he supposed not. He had seen a legless dancer once before, though, he'd rather Kiel keep both of his to continue that dream of his.

Pozou eyed Yo standing up with some wobbling that she tried to be discreet about as she dragged over the log closer to Daisy to speak with her. He had noticed she took to nursing another drink during his story but he didn't think it would have flown to her head as swiftly as it did. So, when Yo insisted that Daisy stab her to test her defensive magic, that was when Pozou held out his hands and stammered, "P-p-please, I don't think that's such an amazing idea..." He didn't want to stitch up even more people, no less those inviting themselves to be stabbed.

Kiel rose to his feet, or as best as he could himself, and announced he would call it a night, and suggesting the others do the same. Pozou glanced over to Yo worriedly, hoping that she wouldn't be so hindered come morning. His attention moved back to Kiel, who asked him to come to his tent. He found the suggestion sudden and felt as if his face would turn inexplicably red, had he not explained it was to check over his leg. Pozou would admit, he felt embarrassed to not figure that was why he suggested it in the first instance. But he smiled, shook his head, and rose to his feet. "No need, Kiel. I'd be happy to look over it." And it was a genuine truth. That was why he chose this vocation in the first instance. Money or trinkets had never been a necessity in practising, only that he could help those who needed his expertise. "Lead the way."
 
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Kiel Shan

A small smile spread across the dancer's face when the avian doctor agreed. "Thank you," he said, before doing his best to stand up. He planted his staff firmly in the ground and used it for support, though it still wobbled as he pulled himself up with shaky limbs and a pained look on his face. When he was properly on his feet he stood for a moment and let out a breath before starting his walk over to his tent. He used the staff he carried as a third leg and put pressure only on that and his healthy leg as he walked, but even moving his injured leg forward to follow the rest of body caused him to wince. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Pozou was following, and upon arriving at the opening of the tent he moved aside the fabric covering the entrance in order to let the medic enter. With a small smile he motioned for the Quetzola to enter and then stepped in after.

Inside the tent wasn't anything remarkable. There was only a bedroll spread out across the length of the shelter and a small rucksack containing all of Kiel's things in the corner next to it. Even without those, the space could barely contain the two people within it. The man from the sands tried his best to once again sit down without bending the knee of his injured leg, slowly sliding it forward as he lowered himself onto the ground as if he was entering a front splits position. He allowed his another knee to bend as he got lower though, and ended up in a seated position with his injured leg outstretched with only minimal discomfort. Letting out a small sigh of relief he slowly started to undo the bandaged that were wrapped around his thigh.

"I hope the stitches don't cause you any trouble if you need to remove them," Kiel said. "I believe the technique I was trying to implement is common among medical professional but I've never had to use it before. Plus I was in quite a lot of pain, and piercing around a wound with a needle isn't quite easy." When the bandages were undone he moved them to his other side, away from his leg. The stitching was somewhat jagged and uneven, but still managed to hold the wound closed. The area around it was red and swollen, which Kiel believed was fairly normal for a healing wound, but other than that there didn't seem to be any alarming symptoms.

Arcanist Arcanist
 
Myyrea

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Myyrea grinned when almost everyone volunteered. They were eager employees for sure! The only exception was the greedy man who asked about payment, and good lord what a mood slayer he was. Leóne wanted money, money and more money. But that was too damned bad. This adventure was some good old — one hundred percent uncompensated hard-labor. Myyrea wasn't the Central Bank you see, and cash was short these days.

At least there was a chance they would make money through exploration. Maybe they would uncover ancient valuables underground? Myyrea was unsure but worked a greedy angle when she answered Leone. "Yes! There are untold riches inside! You can keep almost anything you find underground!"

Untold riches indeed.

The other people needed less work to convince. They were so nice and cute! Palea only wanted campfire stories and cool experiences. Gwen wanted to explore something new and interesting. Vaal was a chivalrous easterner who immediately volunteered. And though Obsidian was unknown, she wasn't asking about hourly pay rates. Almost everyone seemed okay with the setup.

Looking between Vaal and the worried Obsidian, Myyrea decided a descent was due. The elven gal was concerned about people tumbling from above. Though Myyrea would never lose balance, giving someone a heart attack was a bad first impression. So she grabbed a nearby vine and swung down to land among the others. Gazing up she shouted to Vaal "I'll explain on the way. We can walk while we talk beanstalk! You should come down too!"

Then she looked the others' way and nodded once, asking "Everyone ready?" before walking into the ancient ruins. And assuming others were close behind, she explained "There's a place nearby that my scaredy cat expedition abandoned. It's completely safe but they were superstitious and everyone ran away. I can't explore the whole thing by myself but it'll be so easy with your help!" she spoke fast while moving below decayed arches and vine-wrapped stone walls. Her feet brushed against huge ferns that sprouted from old cracked roads, and nocturnal creatures crawled about. The atmosphere would scare average people — a good thing then, that the assembled were outside the norms

One minute away was the Ancient Delve entrance, and Myyrea was excited to see her workers' reaction. Calling the underground place 'spooky' was an understatement. They were in for many unimaginable surprises.



Lost Echo Lost Echo Sarahspn Sarahspn The Regal Rper The Regal Rper BriiAngelic BriiAngelic
 
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Aedzel Phriln

"Damn it." The lone woman said in frustration as she kicked a stray rock into the trunk of a tree from the distance. Her fingers reached for each side of her temples as she felt a headache come at the most irritating time. If she hadn't been so stubborn, this wouldn't have happened but then again she hated that she was getting less than what she deserved when she was the one that gave life to their performances. "Ungrateful idiots." She said rather bitterly to herself as she continued her walk through the ivory forest.

Aedzel was obviously lost, not that she would admit it to herself. It was rather hard to traverse the land when you have no map whatsoever, making the critical mistake of leaving some of her items in her now-former-troupe's wagon. All she had was a few foods that won't last more than two days, a blanket, and her mandolin. Letting out a tired sigh, she leaned against one tree and watched the leaves above be illuminated by the moonlight. She didn't think her actions through, she should have left when they got to a city and not in the middle of nowhere.

The Quetzola let her fingers run through her hair as she walked towards no particular destination. She only hopes to find a place without the endless amount of trees or bump into someone who has a way out and figure things out from there.

After what seemed like hours of endless steps, Aedzel's sharp ears could hear voices. Not only did she hear voices but she also saw a warm glow not too far from where she was. Finally! She thought to herself in relief. After days of wandering around with no one to talk to, people! She was rather desperate for even the faintest interaction. She felt as if another day alone and she would have gone crazy and jumped off a cliff without hesitation.

She walked at a faster pace than before, newfound energy with every step that she made as she burst through the light made by the campfire. "Hi! A-any chance you're willing to let a lost traveler join you?" Aedzel said before a gasp came out of her lips to the last two people in the campfire as another Quetzola stepped inside a tent the moment she arrived. The past days traversing the forest had not been good to her after all, even her lovely hair and precious wings were a bit of a mess.

mention: Anne Boolean Anne Boolean Arcanist Arcanist || interaction: Taigakitt Taigakitt Fred Colon Fred Colon


 
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