Day 2 - Afternoon
Seawall
Meyath approached the man cleaning the bird and said,
"Hello, are you the hunter?", hoping she could find a place to be of use here.
The stranger turned around saying,
"I'm the closest thing you'll get here in Seawall. What would you like from me?"By way of explaining herself, Meyath offered,
"I'm looking for some way to help out around here, and I used to hunt back home"At this the mans face seemed to brighten a little, he seemed hopeful his work could be made lighter by an extra pair of hands.
"I could always use help. Game is scarce on this island, but our soldiers need meat."Hearing about the towns need for another hunter made Meyath confident that she could make a difference working with the man standing in front of her.
"Sounds like a worthy use of time then I'm in. I am most used to hunting in Wetlands, are there any of those here? otherwise I'll just do my best to help you out."The hunter paused a moment to think before answering,
"Towards the center of this island there is a marshy area that I think you'd be familiar enough with. It can be a dangerous trip there and back though."The word danger seemed alarming to Meyath.
"What sort of hazards should I be on the lookout for?"The hunter went on to describe,
"There are wild dogs in this forest unlike anything you've ever seen. People think they were once kept as war dogs, which were let loose on pirates whenever they set foot on land. Now though, they wander the forest in packs looking for meat. Which includes us. Other than that, there are mantrap plants. If you're near the main plants you'll see large bulbs, usually a very bright color, which have acid in them. Don't go near them. Some of them have vines they lay along the forest floor. Those are more dangerous, since you can't always see the colored bulbs nearby, but if you have a dagger or anything sharp on you it's no problem to cut them off before they get you anywhere near the bulb."The prospect of a dangerous trip on an unknown island didnt sound appealing to Meyath, so she quickly responded,
"Well I don't so I guess I'll just have to help you out for a bit at first, it will help me get the lay of the land anyway"Looking a little relieved, the man replied,
"Sounds good to me. You look like you can stay quite, so I could use your help. Besides, I don't want it said that I sent a helpless person into the wilderness unprepared."Meyaths final question of
"Thank you, when do we start?" was greeted with a large bird being thrown her way while the hunter said,
We start by cleaning this bird, so I can hang it out here till someone from town comes to get it. While you do that, Ill prepare equipment for the trip. It wont be a short one.With this, Meyath began pulling feathers out of the bird, after a half an hour of painstaking work, she took the knife off of the table and began to gut the bird. When she had a bird clean enough to be cooked at the barracks without too much effort, she hung it up next to two others outside of his hut. Just as she was doing this, the hunter came out of his hut carrying two large backpacks. He gave one to Meyath, which she slipped on, the weight pushing heavily on her light form. Watching her shoulder the pack, the hunter said,
One last detail to take care of before we set off, you need a weapon. Just grab a spear or bow off of that rack over there.With that he set off towards the forests edge, and into a small trail. For the first time, Meyath realized just how dense the forest was, even on a trail he was essentially out of sight in only a matter of seconds.
Aetharbor
Looking down at his coin purse briefly, Kassen felt certain that spending that much of his meagre budget on a simple dagger would have been a poor choice. Unsure of the local bargaining custom, or even the worth of one of the strange coins here, he was still certain he would have to find a way to pay less. He decided that a bold approach would best hide any of his ignorance about local customs, and so he said in as clear a voice as he could manage,
"This for 20 coins,"The merchant looked at the Serpen standing front of his stall briefly, contemplating how to deal with his request for a better deal. Looking down at the dagger, the merchant decided that a quick sale would be worth a small loss in profit, and said loudly, as though he wanted nearby potential customers to think him charitable,
"That may not be the best dagger you'll ever hold, but the craftsmanship and the metal are there. But you look down on your luck, friend, so I'll meet you in the middle, lets say 28."Barely containing a smile of pride at his successful bartering despite the strangeness of the land, Kassen said,
"Yes, this is well. Have my coins." as he handed the coins over and slipped the dagger into his belt.
Following the priests words, Kassen set off on the road leading westward out of town. He was walking along this road for quite a while, uneventfully, when he suddenly heard screams for help. Running around a small bend, he saw two men roughly handling a very short and lithe woman who appeared to have wings, who had been the source of the screams.
Near Vourun
Suddenly TsuJochi realized he knew the direction of his clan. He had been going the right direction, but taken a slightly wrong path, which met a dead end. In his excitement, he began rushing through the thick brush. In his rush, however, he failed to notice small shapes darting in the forest near him. Suddenly the way in front of him was consumed by a large briar patch. Four small shapes materialized around him and his companion into briar brownies, laughing as they gathered up long sections of the spiny plants for which they were named, and began whipping around the companions. The briar brownies looked and moved like small children. Their skin seemed bark-like and they were covered in twisted sprigs of briars, giving them a degree of protection. Their mystical connection to the forest allowed them to slip into one tree or briar patch and out of another, as well as seemingly being able to walk straight up tree trunks.
Iseaya
Sofia smiled, looking at the rose-gold sky, knowing that today would be a good day for her
"
Nice to meet you, Turchin. I'm Sofia Sala. I've got a question though-- where'll we be patrolling?"
Giving an odd glance at her upward smile, but thinking nothing of it, Turchin replied,
"Today I've got the route that runs along the southwest portion of town. It's closest to one of the largest groups of ruins, and it's usually quite because forest edge is held back by the ruins, and not many animals travel through them."Sofia nodded. "
Good to know. I'm ready to go when you are... when is this patrol, anyway?"
Turchin said,
"As soon as we pick up our rations we will head out to that edge of town, and we will walk that edge most of the day. Night shift will relieve us at some point. If you'd like, you can head over there and get a sense of the area and I'll catch up to you with our rations for the day as soon as I can."Sofia considered briefly before replying, "
I believe I'll wait until we're both on patrol; you seem like you're knowledgeable about the area."
Turchin quickly left and returned with a single backpack of rations, which he tossed over his shoulder. Setting off towards the southwest, the quickly found the edge of the buildings, adjacent to ruins that stretched several yards in each directions. The once smooth stone was grown over with vines and moss, pillars that once must have stood proud over most men now barely had the audacity to stand at Sofias height. The ground looked to have been once paved, and despite the cracking of this pavement, most all flora had been kept back except of creeping vines and moss.
Expecting this grand sight to be accompanied with danger, daring, and glory, Sofia was sadly disappointed when their afternoon began by walking up to a small platform that gave them sight over the area and sitting on stools to watch. Every so often a bird would land in the ruins, or a squirrel would dash amongst them. At one point a hawk caught sight of a mouse amongst the crumbling stone, and swooped down to claim the reward for its diligent watch. But Sofia had trouble seeing some such award for her own vigilance, she gradually began to think that the watch was no path to glory, only to a sore buttocks. Her mind wandered to the exhilaration the hawk must have felt. She wished her day could be filled with proudly soaring over a forest, elegantly diving down on her prey, instead of sitting a wooden platform watching a silent relic of a civilization long past.
Suddenly Sofia sat up, alert. The rune was silent. No birds flitting around, or squirrels dashing around in the hopes of stray nuts. No bird of prey patrolling, and not even any tiny mice to serve as elusive treats to those great majestic hunters. This realization was followed by the observation that an unnatural fog was extending tendrils from the forests edge into the desolate pile of stones.
Spirarbor
Letting his new book lie closed for the rest of the day, Nico decided to practice chanting. Despite his recent reading, or rather because of the excitement it caused in him, he couldnt seem to concentrate. Deciding the exercise would be unproductive today, he left the inn and quickly found the residence of the old man. He was actually quite unsure it was the old mans residence, as he couldnt find him anywhere, until he walked in and saw piles of books on tables. Looking around, he noticed a number of bookshelves that had many gaps in them. Clearly this was the problem the old man had been relaying to him earlier. After yelling a few times to no avail, he decided the old man must be out on some small errand.
Not wanting to waste any time, Nico quickly figured out the organizational pattern and began putting books away. Before long he had an entire table clear, and hed even managed to rearrange some of the books which had clearly gotten out of order. Coming to a book which appeared to be entirely blank, he stared at it, unsure of how to categorize it. His confusion was interrupted by a voice from the doorway saying,
Dont worry about that one, Id been meaning to write a book myself, but my eyesight went before I had collected my thoughts well enough to put ink on the pages. You can leave that on the desk.
Character Sheets
Gender: Female
Race: Swamp Serpen
Stats:
Strength 8
Agility 12
Dexterity 9
Intelligence 10
Intuition 10
Willpower 10
Charisma 10
Resilience 12
Abilities:
Reptilian Regeneration - wounds heal quickly
Unbridled passion will have an effect as soon as I think of one
Magic:
Will of the Heart - Practitioners of this craft are intensely passionate. It uses meditation as a focus. Shapeshifting and air are what it is known for. It can best be learned through observation and experience.
Equipment: Cloth Pants, Cloth Shirt, Sandals
Inventory: Money pouch with 100 copper coins
Description: Meyath is approximately two meters tall, but has never actually gotten herself measured with a relatively modest bosom, her scales are a mottled black and blue colour, somewhat of a mutation in her family, who normally have black and dark green scales. Her tail is somewhat short for her size, but her lithe (even for serpens) makes up for the difference in agility. Her hands and feet are webbed, a normal trait for her family, who make a habit of hunting in the deeper parts of the swamp they hail from.
Starting Port: Seawall
Background: Meyath grew up in a tight-knit extended family in the heart of the great swamp (or other appropriate name), they lived mostly on hunted animals, occasionally leaving the swamp to trade flora and fauna found in the swamp for more exotic goods. Meyath enjoyed these trips thoroughly, and hoped to become the family's main liaison to the world outside the swamp. Not that she did not love her native habitat, always happy to get home after a trip she just enjoyed seeing new faces. Unfortunately however, on one such trading journey a group of bandits (race unknown, she was not there) had fled into the swamp to evade pursuit. They had, by random happenstance found the Deepfen dwellings, and proceeded to slaughter them after being offered hospitality by the friendly serpens. Meyath could not bear to stay after that, her brother, with whom she had a strong bond had been among the family staying at home. So she said her farewells to her family, and left the swamp, taking her wherever her feet took her, they eventually ended up with her on a ship bound for seawall; perhaps there she will be able to start again.
Trinket: Small piece of petrified wood, a gift from her brother
Gender : Male
Race : Wolfkin
Stats:
Strength 6
Agility 12
Dexterity 13
Intelligence 10
Intuition 10
Willpower 10
Charisma 10
Resilience 10
Abilities:
Clan Member - Interaction modifiers with other Wolfkin
Insomniac Mage If magic is used after noon, 33% chance to fail to be rested after sleep
Magic:
Cadus Blessings - Enhancement spells, empathy and life are this system of magic's main uses. Practitioners suffer from insomnia. It uses ancestors to channel power.
Equipment: Cloth Pants
Inventory: Money pouch with 10 copper coins
Companion:
Arno - A lean young man with a talent for throwing axes (+1 to this, -1 to all other fighting)
Description : TsuJochi is relatively small even for his own kind and has pale blue fur that looks almost black in moonlight and pale yellow eyes. He's very well muscled for his kind and has a large collections of scars covering his body several of which are in positions that should have been mortal wounds such as a sword wound to his heart and several slashes across his throat. Mentally TsuJochi is extremely resilient surviving these wounds largely through a stubborn refusal to admit defeat, a trait shared by his entire clan. Harvey also has a unique symbol carved into his chest depicting his clan. Uniquely amongst his clan he also has a birth mark on his head in the shape of crossed claws.
The Symbol shows a fleet of ships burning at anchor with wolves tearing into the pirate crews with nothing but tooth and claw.
Clan : The Bloody Forsaken are a clan of somewhat unique Wolfkin, the clans founders were captured by pirates along with those of other clans to be taken as slaves. The founding father of the clan was a man named TsuJochi and while in his cage he prayed for salvation to any god who would listen for himself and his people. After praying while he slept he had a vision and when he woke up his own and the fur of the other wolves on board the ship had all turned the same pale blue and they all shared the same pale yellow eyes, Tsujochi also had a scar on his head in the shape of crossed claws that had not been there before.
Without understanding how it had happened he forced his cage open before freeing his kin and then with a ferocity never seen before or since they fell on the massed pirates on board the ships and shore with nothing but tooth and claw butchering them to the last man in honor of the god Cadus who had freed them and changed them.
Since that day and the founding of the clan in blood every member of it has been a devout believer in Cadus and at the age of 18 every member of the clan has the symbol of a fleet of burning ships and a pirate force being slaughtered by wolf kin carved into his or her chest in his honor.
Members of this clan have a fanatical loyalty to Cadus and believe that to accept death is the ultimate sin and so will fight beyond the limits of insanity in his name earning a reputation over the generations as an almost unwolven clan for there sheer ferocity and the rumors of members of the clan regularly surviving mortal wounds through the blessings of there god. In the clan a prophecy persists that one day Tsujochi will be reborn when the time for his clan to rise up and annihilate the pirates comes though outside of the clan it is treated as nothing more then an idiotic fantasy as is the religion and existence of Cadus himself.
Starting port : Aetharbor
Background : Tsujochi lived a difficult life from birth because of the mark on his head and the clans belief that he had been born to lead his people, because of this he was pushed hard to develop by his people and at the age of 13, far younger then is natural in his clan he had the symbol of his clan carved into his chest and was then thrown out and told not to return until he was ready to lead.
Upon his return to his clan he would have to prove to them that he was capable of leading them into war.
Because of this he set out for the Seawall island and spent the next 7 years of his life moving from camp to camp learning and aiding them in battle against the pirates, in this time he developed a reputation as a warrior to be feared killing more pirates at 13 then many men had at 20 and surviving many wounds in the process that should have left him dead. Because of this TsuJochi came to believe that he was indeed the founder reborn and that Cadus had given his blessing.
Tried and tested Tsujochi is now heading back to his clan to take leadership and begin the holy cleansing to remove all pirates from existence.
Trinket : -
Gender: Female
Race: Aethen
Stats:
Strength 7
Agility 13
Dexterity 10
Intelligence 10
Intuition 13
Willpower 12
Charisma 10
Resilience 6
Abilities:
Bond with the Wild - +1 to animal interactions
Magic:
Magic of the Farsoul - This approach to magic is learned by studying tomes and scrolls. Necromancy, farseeing and compulsion are considered its central attributes. It uses movement.
Equipment: Cloth Shirt, Cloth Pants, Sandals, Cheap Leather Quiver with 10 Arrows, Mysterious Old Bow
Inventory: Money pouch with 40 copper coins
Description: A buxom and (relatively!) tall Aethen, Sofia has hazel colored hair, which tends not to fly about wildly, yet isn't well groomed either, and goes down to just under her shoulderblades. Her somewhat narrow eyes are brown colored, and her skin is a tan color. Sofia's rather calm, not letting all but the worst of things deter her from taking her time and thinking things through. However, this is partially a matter of not letting others get to her- Sofia possesses no small amount of pride, is aware of it, and merely does not care. She has a taste for bitter leaves.
Starting Port: Iseaya
Background: Sofia had rather not wanted to live in ignominy- the Aethen, living out an annoyingly secluded life in the forest on the island Iseaya's on, wanted to make a name, a reputation for herself, to stand out, after finding a small relic of a hero famous among the Aethen. She wanted to be like that hero, to be celebrated for doing good. But she thought she really couldn't do so in this forest. So clutching that small relic (a burnt and wrecked small piece of an Aethen shield), she made her way to the only real major port on that island slowly but surely She had places to go, and things to do. A life to live.
Trinket: Aethen Shield-Piece: A piece of a shield of a famous (within her population group) Aethen warrior, this small, pocket-fitting piece of metal is highly burnt and highly twisted- a pattern of bronze and bright red being unrecognizable but for the color.
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Stats:
Strength 9
Agility 9
Dexterity 9
Intelligence 12
Intuition 13
Willpower 10
Charisma 13
Resilience 7
Abilities:
Social Climber - Interaction Modifiers from social status and groups
Magic:
The Natural Academy - Practitioners of this approach to magic strive towards a kind of enlightenment. Animals and growth are its main uses. It uses chants as a focus.
Equipment: Cloth Shirt, Cloth Pants, Sandals
Inventory: Money pouch with 35 copper coins, Word and Rhythm: Using Chanting to Channel
Description: A young man with a subtle tan to his skin, which highlights the occasional scars strewn across his arms. His hair is a shade of dark brown, cascading down to his shoulders, on the off chance that he doesn't have it tied back in a short ponytail. Along his sharp, angular jawline is a thin goatee. His eyes are a faded shade of green which show a slight feeling of weariness.
Evidence of the physically demanding nature of his past is the lightly muscled, but sleek build of his body.
Starting Port: Spirarbor
Background: From the earliest moments Nico can recall of his life, he'd always been near to the sea. Whether it be the chance he'd gotten as a child to go out with his father on sightseeing trips on his vessel - a simple fishing boat, barely large enough for a single man, but kept in stately condition - or moving cargo for the merchants at the docks, something that seemed to take up much more of his life than he was truly comfortable with. At any rate, he'd grown up with an appreciation of the sea seemingly forced upon him by circumstance.
His family was relatively small, made up of his parents and sister, but it seemed as though there was rarely enough money, even at the best of times. Left with little else to do once he'd gone through his rudimentary education, he worked where he was able once he came of working age, in an attempt to earn his keep. He gained few friends, focusing on work and, eventually, his studies. For the majority of his life, he lived a simple existence, one revolving mainly around working, sleeping & eating. This was satisfying for a while, but of course, even the most hard-working person can hardly call that an existence - or, at least, not one worth living, some might say - and as such, he soon made his way to other, more interesting pursuits.
Soon after sneaking a few assorted texts from a cargo shipment, he worked at learning of the world beyond the coasts he knew like the back of his hand. And, well, his curiosity grew, leading him to steal more books from ships that'd come by the area. Which got him into quite a bit of trouble with the local law-enforcement before long. Most accusations, he managed to deflect away with a bit of quick talking, but soon the evidence piled up. As one might imagine, he decided to get right out of there before he found himself in prison, so he gathered up what money he'd saved, said his goodbyes to his family and set out on a ship headed for the Aethellian Coast, unfortunately forced to leave his variety of texts behind. Had to travel light, after all. But he didn't find himself particularly down about this, since he was free to go on to make his own way in the world.
Trinket: A small wooden albatross, finely carved from a chunk of driftwood by his father long ago.
Gender: Male
Race: Desert Serpen
Stats:
Strength 8
Agility 12
Dexterity 9
Intelligence 10
Intuition 10
Willpower 10
Charisma 10
Resilience 12
Abilities:
Reptilian Regeneration - wounds heal quickly
Magic:
-None-
Equipment: Cloth Pants, Cloth Shirt, Sandals, Iron Dagger
Inventory: Money pouch with 72 copper coins
Description: Short for a Serpen, but especially sneaky, Kassen has dark brown and green scales with small, sharp horns poking out form his brow. His claws are finely manicured, and the quills sticking out of his tail are always sharpened. His brown eyes betray his awkwardness around others (especially foreigners), while his rigid posture is telling of a tumultuous past. His smiles are slow to come and quick to fade, but are always genuine. His thick accent reveals him for what he is: a stranger in a foreign land.
Starting Port: Aetharbor
Background: Kassen always assumed that he'd live his whole life in the deserts, fighting other Serpens and scratching by. It is a life he grew accustomed to, and accepted. He never asked for any more than that, never wanted more. But his clan shaman saw something else in the entrails of slain vermin. She told him that he was meant to live 'Where kinds and kinds meet, and speak one tongue. To do what they do, and say what they say.' Kassen was only as religious as he needed to be, and was skeptical of these portents. So, he went on a pilgrimage to discover what he should do. Many of his kin lauded him for his spirituality, but Kassen simply responded, 'It is what is expected.' So, with little enthusiasm, and less direction, Kassen set off for his clan's holy place.
After many days of travelling alone in the desert, Kassen arrived at the Marker that Sets Us Apart, a large stone jutting from the sands. Without a clue of what to do, Kassen used his claws to scratch upon its surface, then he sat upon it, waited in its shadow, attempted to speak with it, and every manner of activity one can have with a boulder. He had always led a simple life, with simple desires, and given simple rewards. The concept of spirituality was elusive and arcane to him. So, instead of trying to force an insight, he sat down and waited for one, and waited some more.
Eventually night was upon him, and he was no closer to a vision. Or so he thought. Instead of seeking shelter, he took a risk and slept out in the open. Soon, though, he was awaken by a great sound. He stood up, dagger drawn, and looked around to find a great cataclysm. The stars were dying. Stars streaked across the sky in great number. Kassen dropped his dagger and fled, fearing the worst. Eventually he came upon a burrow of some predator. Under the circumstances, Kassen thought it best to risk encountering a sandlion rather than risk being crushed by the sky.
He crawled into the burrow and waited out the storm. That night, he dreamed about foreign creatures, large oases, great wooden structures upon the water, and a tree that spoke. When he awoke, he left the burrow to find the world had not ended. But now he had his answer. Or rather, he had many questions that needed answers. And the only place he would get them is in the land beyond the mountains.
Trinket: A dried head of a desert rat. A totem of protection, given to him by his clan's shaman.
Maps
Continue forwards and try to remember the way.
(6)
Nico smiles as his mind gets to work, formulating how best to use his newfound knowledge. After a few minutes spent practicing his chants, he headed off to the home of his new (and admittedly most likely temporary) employer, mind still awash with excitement.
(2+1) (5)
Sofia considers. "I believe I'll wait until we're both on patrol; you seem like you're knowledgeable about the area."
Wait with Turchin for rations and patrol, then patrol with him.
(-)
7 coins. A few gulps of water. A rat's hide. A spear's tip. Kassen withholds a smile. These frail men are more soft in the ways of trade than he anticipated. Between two desert serpens, neither side relents until one completely submits to the other. He was tempted to try his luck, and push this merchant until he could get what he wanted. But the more rational side of him recognized his weakness in trade and dialect.
"Yes, this is well. Have my coins." He carefully counted out the 28 coins and hands them over, thanking the man.
Next, Kassen exits the city and heads westward, to Vourun. (4)
"Thank you, when do we start"
Become apprentice/aid to the hunter
(5)
