Day 1 - Night -- Day 2 Morning
Seawall
Meyath turned to the doctor and asked, with a hint of desperation in her voice,
Do you know where I could find a place to sleep?"The doctor looked too caught up looking at the young patient in front of him to notice at first, but then he looked up at her, realizing she had helped him a lot recently. He replied,
"There's a barracks nearby. It's not the best place to stay, but I'm housing enough of their men and women here, they should have a spare bed for you" and pointed out the window towards a large building down the street a short ways.
She set off in that direction, and walked in to find long rows of beds to her right, and weapon and armor storage to her left. A gruff looking captain walked up to her and demanded to know why she was there, but as soon as she mentioned she had been working in the hospital and needed a place to stay he quickly showed her to a bed which he said was unused at the moment. As she lay down she felt weariness from the days activities and stresses seep into her and she fell unconscious quickly.
Her night was silent, neither dream nor noise interrupting her rest.
She awoke in the morning to men sharpening swords and checking armor. None of them seemed particularly concerned with her presence as she stretched and sat up in the bed.
Aetharbor
Kassen was interested in the old mans speech. Understanding his language was difficult, and on top of that a cultural barrier remained. Through all this talk of gods, Kassen was uncertain what these gods were, whether or not they were the ancestors of these men, or something else entirely. But through all of this the question that burned in his mind was not so much about these gods, but about what the talking tree could mean, so he asked the old man,
"I look for a tree that spoke. Do you... know a tree that spoke?"The robed man gave him a brief, quizzical look before responding,
"The only sacred trees in this city are our mangroves, but they don't speak to us. The Aethen worship a great tree though, and they call the one who interprets the will of the forest the Speaker. An odd heathen practice as far as I'm concerned, but the closest thing to a speaking tree on this coast."Deciding that was the closest he would get, he asked one last question,
"Where is a big tree?" to which the man responded
Ive heard the Speaker is at Asha Lake. The lake is to the north of Vourun, up the river from here. But enough of heathens. It is late.With that the old man led Kassen inside. He took Kassen up to a small chamber, barely a bed set into a wall, and said,
We have more than enough space, stay here the night.Kassen had a hazy dream that night that resembled his earlier dream, but without much clarity. As he awoke he felt certain that this dream would not leave him alone till he resolved it. He stepped out onto the cold stone and into his sandals and walked down the hall to the stairs, and out into the main entrance where he saw people apparently engaged in prayer once more.
As they walked towards the boat he had found earlier TsuJochi asked Arno to show him what his abilities were. In response Arno slipped a pair of large throwing knives out of his sleeves and starting throwing them at posts and crates in the pier as they walked. Consistently they embedded themselves in the center of the posts, impressing TsuJochi to no end.
As they reached the boat, however, their luck took a slightly worse turn. Upon learning he would have a new passenger, the captain got rather annoyed and accused TsuJochi of trying to cheat him. Describing their intentions placated the captain to a degree, but he still demanded 30 more coins for the extra passage. Handing him 90 coins, TsuJochi and Arno boarded the boat and found a space of the floor to sleep on.
Despite having used magic rather late in the day, and the movement of vessel and the noise around him, TsuJochi was able to fall asleep quite readily, and did not awake until he saw the sun peaking over the small village as they came up to its dock. The sky today was clear, but instead of its usual blue color, it was the color of rose gold. Thinking nothing of it, TsuJochi anxiously got off the boat.
Iseaya
Wracking her brain for all the stories of heroes she could remember, Sofia decided that most all of the heroes had been a part of some guard or military group. Being a town whose main threats were from nearby animals and the like, Iseaya was much more in need of a guards than soldiers. Slinging her new purchase across her back she strode back to the barracks she had seen earlier. Walking confidently through the doors she nearly walked into a man who was half again her height. Instead of apologizing she quickly asserted she was there to join the guard. Instead of being offended, the tall man simply laughed, impressed by her firey nature, and told her that she could go to the archery yard in the morning and theyd see if the guard needed her.
Upon learning she had no place to stay the night, he brought her up to a small storage room upstairs. He said they werent in the habit of giving beds to people who werent members of the guard, but she could sleep up there if she could get comfortable. Looking at her temporary home, she was able to convince herself that there was something noble, heroic, about having to sleep in an attic at the beginning of her epic journey. Pulling a couple of sacks together she lay down, and rolled about a while before falling asleep.
She dreamt that of stalking a large beast through the forest before bringing it down with her bow. But something went wrong, as the arrow entered the shapeless beast she felt a sharp pain, and cried out in agony.
She awoke in a fitful sweat, and decided to leave her nightmare behind her. She calmed herself down and walked down the stairs to the main area of the barracks.
Spirarbor
Holding up the copy of Word and Rhythm, Nico asked,smiling pleasantly,
"Excuse me, but how much does this cost?"The old wizened man behind the stall had to have the book very close to his face before he could make out which volume it was. He replied in a rambling speech, as if recalling a moment in his personal history,
"Ah, this book. This book was quite well written. If anybody tries to convince you Hucksley is anything but a scholar of the highest sort, you can tell them they are quite mistaken. He had a true sense of intellectual discipline and rigor. That's not to say faults can't be found in his writing. His style is indeed quite eccentric, I've personally never thought much symbolism was appropriate in the instruction of magic, but one can't fault the old fellow for having tried to develop his own voice. This book though, that voice comes through more than his scholarship at some times. I would part with it for 60 copper coins, and I hope you find an interpretation of it which is helpful."Nico nodded slowly, looking down at the book's cover. He wanted this book, but that was over half of his money.
"Tch... I don't suppose the cost is negotiable? I've only just come around to this place this very day and... well, I'm sure you've some idea of how rough it can be getting settled in. Particularly monetarily..."The old man replied calmly,
"It's worth what I say it's worth, this book is an old friend."Nico gave an understanding smile. Not wanting to have angered the old man, he replied,
"Right, right... Can't fault me for trying, eh?"He handed over the 60 pieces of copper, taking the book with a careful movement.
"Well then, thank you for the book. Oh, do you might know of any work around here?""Actually I may have some work for you to do. My eyesight isn't what it once was, and I struggle reading the titles on my precious books. I could use a young pair of eyes to organize them for me. If you're interested stop by my house tomorrow. I'm the third one down the north street from the inn, on the right side.""Sure. It'd be a pleasure, mister... uh, what's your name, anyway?""You can call me Mr. Llewellyn""And my name's Nico. It's been a pleasure, sir."With that Nice set off to the inn. After some quick negotiation with the innkeeper, Nico got a room for the night for only 5 coppers. Going up to his room, he fell asleep with his new purchase under his pillow, quite satisfied with the day as a whole.
He woke after his dreamless sleep to see a rose-gold sky outside his window. Thinking it to be a rather odd phenomena, he spent the first couple minutes of his day staring at it.
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
Inventory: Money pouch with 100 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
Go wait for my boat, test Arnos skills.
(Test Skills: 5)(Get Captain to accept new passenger: 3) (Sleep despite magic use: 6)
Follow the doctor's advice
(-)
Sofia will attempt to join the guard.
(4)
Nico walks off to the inn, smiling slightly.
(-)
It was at least close to what Kassen had in mind. The best lead he has. "Where is a big tree?"
With that, Kassen will work off his debt to the man. If the temple has a commons room or some such, ask to stay there for the night. If not, ask where he could find 'protection from thieves for the night'. (5)
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Topic: [IC Thread] Kurchil's Children - Day 2: A Rose-Gold Sky (Read 18857 times)