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[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"Let's see... We have bear, dear, bob cats, squirrels, a few wild dogs, a bunch of different song bird species, some eagles." She counted them all on her fingers as she went down the list. When she ran out of fingers, a black sigil appeared at their tips and tendrils of shadow emerged from her shadow to continue the count in their stead, mimicking the exact motions. "what else what else... oh! I'm pretty sure I found a goat around there once, too. Though that might've just been a short and deformed deer. Happens sometimes, there's uh...a lot of wild magic surging through that area. Sometimes it gradually seeps into the wildlife and causes weird stuff to happen. Like the dogs, my ancestors. Father said that some of the ones he met could talk back to him. He could never convince them to come live there like the less intelligent ones though. Never met a talking one myself. Well except for my siblings, but they don't really count. These ones did it without any human intervention."
   Realizing that she was beginning to ramble again, she decided to steer things back towards something from earlier "A-anyways, you mentioned something about dark spirits, right? Uh... is that a particularly big problem where you're though? I've seen what angry Astral entities can do to a place, fought them too a couple times. It's... not pretty."

She neglected to mention that a few times, she was the astral entity. But the less people who knew about that tid-bit for now, the better. Telling Newton may have already made it one person too many.

[nuclearwhale]

Utzi blinks dumbfoundedly as Ehto's shadow tendrils spring into existence, nearly missing the rest of her words after she concludes counting the numerous animals that live on her lands. "I... see. The dark spirits are not quite so... overt. They come quietly, and make people die painful deaths after withering away. There was a strange man here not too long ago that insisted they were called "disease" or "radiation". I have not met animals that could talk or... almost anything like what your shadows just did. That is something more along the domain of the great spirits, and as long as you make your sacrifices to them, they do not interfere. But... when they do, I have to agree, it is anything but pretty."

Utzi scratches his chin and glances downward as he thinks of something else to say to get away from that topic. "I suppose there are talking animals too, if you count the tall folk, but only the elder thinks that."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"Oooooh, you mean... oh." She wasn't quite sure how to respond there. He didn't mean genuine dark spirits, at least it didn't seem so. Just death, natural hazards and pestilence in general. From what he'd said so far, combined with his looks, that helped to build a better picture of their civilization and culture. And it looked to be woefully primitive. She of course refused to speak that thought aloud though, instead saying "Uuh well... whoever he was, he was probably right. That's what most places identify them as, anyway. Hopefully. Who are these 'tall folk' though? Do you guys have giants or something?"

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi
Utzi frowns, as he thinks of how to respond to that. "The tall folk are not giants. They are taller, yes, but only by a little. They have flatter faces than my own, and are very common. There were many tribes of tall folk near Alpeak, and only a few of us wide folk. They are very common here as well. Many of the people I met here have had slightly different skin color than the tall folk I am used to seeing, but they have the right faces and height."

Utzi's frown deepens for a brief moment, before he continues. "As I said, only the Elder thought they were animals. They are clearly not."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"Wait, so you're talking about humans? Then what are..." She took a closer look at him. He was around the same height as her, given they were practically at eye level. His body was stocky, but obviously powerful. His brow ridge was indeed like none others she had seen before, either at home or here. And yet he still didn't look too different for Ehto to mistake him for human in passing. Or even now as she starred at him.
   Maybe he's an offshot of some kind then? I mean... I'm more or less in the same boat... kinda. so... its not that crazy an idea to consider.
   She shook her head and shrugged "er... nevermind, not important I guess. Did you have many interactions with the tall folk before you came here? The way you said that last part makes me think there's some personal experience backing it up."

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi stays quiet for a moment, silently wishing he still had the steak so that he could take a bite out of it as he considered what to say. After a few moments, a look of resolve settles onto Utzi's face, and he responds. "I will answer both of your questions, as they are connected. My father was one of the tall folk. He was a good man."

Utzi winces as he speaks, as if bracing for an insult.

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
She stared at him for a moment, a long silence drawing out between them. For the longest time it looked as though she might well deliver on his expectations, as her tail stopped wagging and ears laid flat. What came as she opened her mouth next though was not mockery however. And the expression she wore was one of sympathy instead of whatever sneering, shit eating grin the hairless tall apes in Utzi's homeworld may have given him.
    "Oh... I get it now. Sorry if I brought back anything painful. I... know what its like to have people say things about you because of what you are. Who your parents might have been. Things you can't control, and never thought you should even be ashamed of. I guess every world really does have people that small minded. I had hoped mine was unique."

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi
Utzi shakes his head. "Do not worry about it. I was born cursed, it is my burden to carry."

Reading the subtext of Ehto's words, Utzi decides to take some attention off himself with a question of his own. "They do not insult you for having aspects of the wolf, do they? Wolves are dangerous beasts, so I can see why they may fear you, but they are noble. It should be a great honor to have their aspects in your blood. They are dangerous, yes, but death to a wolf is almost as honorable as death to a mammoth. Wolves are fierce, excellent hunters. Surely you must be a valued member of your tribe."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"My own family, no, they don't insult me." She shook her head and her expression slowly drifted from sympathetic to wistful. "In fact, most of them are just like me. Well, almost like me. I... have another form that's a lot closer to a mon- a wolf than this one. None of them can really do anything like that. The problem comes from people outside the pack. Some of them, at least, I've actually met a lot of people who were either pretty nice about it or just didn't care what I was because I had helped them. But there's always been some who call me a monster or an abomination the minute they see the ears and tail. The council that rules my world has pretty strict laws about using sorcery to tamper with life, so uh... people like me aren't exactly supposed to exist. Apparently just me continuing to live is a crime in their eyes, even if I haven't actually hurt anyone. Well, anyone who wasn't acting like a total scumbag. That much has been made abundantly clear by the girl they keep sending to try and execute me."
    It may have been nothing, but at the mention of an assigned killer Utzi may have noticed an all too familiar growl emanate from the hound.
    "I'm honestly kinda insulted about it, really. They mark me for death but they send some two-bit Inquisitor who can't even properly cast without using somatic components. I stopped relying on somatic components when I was five. My sister stopped when she was seven, and most of my other siblings could cast without them by the time they were ten. Every time she catches up to me again, all I have to do is bind her up with a shadowlash and banish her, and she's rendered completely helpless. The last time, I showed her my other form and smacked her around a bit. She wet herself like a little girl and ran away in terror. The thing is, I let her go. I could've easily eaten her right then and there. I hope she realizes that before she thinks about coming for me again. Most monsters don't show mercy, after all."

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi
Utzi instinctively reaches for his spears as he hears Ehto's growl, but manages to will his hands back down to his side. An uncomfortably long silence follows as Utzi attempts to figure out how to respond, with a sympathetic look growing on his face. "Of course not, a wolf would eat a defeated foe, or drag it back to their lair to do so later. Your killer must be very stupid to keep trying. You were well in your rights to kill her for attempting such a thing, as self-defense is the only right way to end another person. By sparing her, you proved that you were better than they could ever hope to be. Especially if they were so obviously worse than you at fighting. I would not want to be killed by anyone less than a great hunter, even if I had earned it."

Utzi frowns slightly as he continues to speak, his eyes downcast. "I am lucky in that no one has ever tried to kill me. I may be cursed, but I am a good hunter, and still a member of the tribe. They just kept me away from the center of the tribe so that my tainted spirit wouldn't disturb the Elder's magic or corrupt any youth into thinking that mating with the tall folk is acceptable."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi

She couldn't help but whine after hearing that. "That's still terrible though! Thats... thats..."
   She let herself trail off, honestly too disgusted to admit what it was. Eugenics. Hmph. Ironic. She and the council had their obvious differences in opinion, but this they held common ground on. The issues it had personally caused her aside, Ehto understood that the law was never meant to target her specifically. Her scenario was more of an unfortunate byproduct of regulations that otherwise existed for... very good reasons. Just like the regulations about using sorcery to literally reach beyond the astral veil, pluck the souls of the dead back from the beyond, and force them into empty bodies and vessels. There were inevitably some scholars who would abuse their power to enforce such... doctrines of racial purity. Who would inevitably go beyond what was acceptable for medical purposes if left unfettered. Most probably wouldn't, but it only took a few with less sound ethics to create a clear and present danger. She didn't want the law annulled, she simply wanted some nuance added to it.

Wanted people like her and her siblings to not be born criminals. Wanted people like her father to not be judged so harshly when they had no nefarious intent behind their actions. Even if those actions were not actually the ones most people alleged about him...

"...this conversation got uh... pretty heavy. Maybe we should change topics? Enough about our home worlds for now, what do you think about this place? The people you've met so far?"

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi

Utzi nods in agreement as he strokes his scraggly beard in thought. "The people here are very strange, but they seem kind, for the most part. There is another woman who also has aspects of the wolf here who knows a powerful magic known as "Writing" that she plans to teach me. She is very kind to do so. The bird who showed me where the steak was is quite rude, however, he attempted to steal one of my spears before I convinced him to drop it."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
"Another one with- oh you mean Martyr?" She said after a bit of thought. She didn't know how many people with such qualities were here, truth be told, but she was fairly sure the common person from Martyr's world was probably literate. Martyr herself probably was, at least, owing to her not being a man. "I think I've met that bird too, Newton. Strange, he was pretty polite to me. He can actually write too, pretty well in fact. Makes more sense why he's so defensive about his 'baubles', I guess... they're probably his trophies."
   Speaking of such... she starred at the man's equipment for the first time since she'd spotted him. And Indeed, most of it consisted of some simple spears and a simple device which she had never seen before. "Hey, what's that thing you have with your spears? The one with the curved handle and the little club and notch at the end?"

[nuclearwhale]

Ehto, Utzi
Utzi retrieves his Atl-atl from the place it hangs at his side. An intricate carving of an elk with truly massive antlers adorns it, but outside of that it is a plain-looking wooden implement, shaped in such a way it is clear it is meant to fit well into a hand. "This? It is an atl-atl. A hunting tool. I am a strong, capable hunter, but I cannot throw a dart fast enough or far enough to successfully bring down an elk with my arms alone, let alone a mammoth. The atl-atl makes your arm longer, so that you can throw faster, more accurately, and stronger."

Utzi pulls one of his spears off his back, and loads it into the tool, bringing the arm behind his head. "I do not know how people without the ability to become like a wolf hunt in your world, but where I come from, animals are dangerous. They wish to kill you as much as a hunter would wish to feast on them. The wide folk are strong, but we cannot hope to compete against a bear, or a mammoth, or a pack of wolves unaided. But the spirits saw to it that man was smart enough to fight back anyway." Utzi glances across the room, where one of the many tall wooden pillars that held up the ceiling stood. "Watch."

Utzi springs into a practiced, graceful motion, and the spear that was once sitting in his atl-atl vanishes into the air with a distinctive whistle, followed by a powerful THUMP! as it buries itself several inches into the pillar. "I could not possibly do that with just my hands."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Ehto, Utzi
She watched and listened practically spellbound as Utzi explained the mechanism and demonstrated its efficacy. She glanced back and forth between his arm and the pillar, and quickly realized that he was probably right. A black circle of arcane design manifested in the shadows cast by the pillar, all but invisible in the low light. A wreath of tendrils emerged from its surface and pulled the spear free easily, swallowing it up into the darkness and vanishing. Ehto held her hand up and those same appendages emerged from her own shadow and gifted her the spear. She examined the head and whistled at just how far the wood's dust extended up it's length.
     "Alright, I'll admit that's pretty impressive. Never thought something so small and simple would be so effective." She offered the spear back to Utzi, and in doing so couldn't help but be reminded of something that would be even more effective, potentially... "By the way, has anyone invented bows and arrows where you're from?"