"Good idea, little fox."
Samel grins.
"When you're tracking something that can take wing, things can be tricky. You have to watch for droppings, or bits of feather that may fall. Naturally, that's easier in calm weather. In some cases, you just have to trust that you can catch a little bit of movement. These little beasties, having just hatched, I reckon are pretty hungry."
He begins to move slowly, taking in the area, looking up into the trees, watching for any movement.
"I'm afraid not. I'm running an errand for Wallace."
She gives the man a half-embarrassed half-smile, still strained for the inner turmoil, before telling him about the strange order they had gotten and Havak wanting permission to find one of the ingredients in the graveyard. She waits for an answer before heading back to Havak's shack and telling him what Abram said. As she leaves she tells Abram, "I'll see if Wallace still needs me. If he doesn't I'll come back and help."
Without turning back, Corvina enters the hut silently. Moments later, from beneath the cloth that serves as her door, her hand can be seen pushing the small box from under the drapery past the entryway towards Dante, then slowly drawing back. She says nothing more, nor does she appear from behind the blanket.
Dante picks up the box and stares curiously.
Abram's face takes on a more serious countenance as Elarya explains the request. He looks puzzled, but soon again his face is relaxed and he grins.
"As long as there is proper respect, and no bodies are disturbed, I can't see the harm. As for helping, I appreciate the offer, my girl, but I think we can handle it, despite all our extra thumbs." With that he gives Elarya a friendly pat on the arm and goes back to work.
Dante picks up the box and stares curiously.
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20
The box is mostly unremarkable, about the size of a music-box, made of simple wood, with a faded but still dark stain. It is somewhat beaten, with a rusted metal clasp to hold it closed. All about it are words, carved in a script similar to Sylvan, but the words make no sense.
Inside, you can hear the stones Corvina had been working on (minus the "bad" one) roll around as you tilt and examine the box.
Dante looked at the box curiously, his mind started to wander. Usually, Corvina's gifts were either really silly, really important, or a hodge-podge mix of both. He slid his hand on the surface of the box, feeling its grainy texture as he remembered he didn't memorize Read Magic. For a long moment, he stared, but then decided to run back to the river to keep the bad stone as a souvenir of today and keep it with the many treasures he had attained during the various adventures he had with Corvina. He picked up the stone and washed the new mud that had built up on it from the muddy footsteps of the villagers and paced back home. He slowly pushed against the edge of the box' lid ann, with a fierce squeal from the rusted hinges, it opened.
Dante looked at the box curiously, his mind started to wander. Usually, Corvina's gifts were either really silly, really important, or a hodge-podge mix of both. He slid his hand on the surface of the box, feeling its grainy texture as he remembered he didn't memorize Read Magic. For a long moment, he stared, but then decided to run back to the river to keep the bad stone as a souvenir of today and keep it with the many treasures he had attained during the various adventures he had with Corvina. He picked up the stone and washed the new mud that had built up on it from the muddy footsteps of the villagers and paced back home. He slowly pushed against the edge of the box' lid ann, with a fierce squeal from the rusted hinges, it opened.
[dice=Spellcraft]1d20 + 5
The words do indeed seem to be gibberish, nonsensical scratchings, as far as you can tell.
Inside the box the stones sit piled on each other, the way only roundish stones do. Each of the stones has a rune scratched into it, each different, a different version of swirls and various extending lines.
On the inside of the lid, in thin lines of red, ordered common, is the single word "".
Dante spared the stones a glance, then shifted his gaze on the red text; he wondered what they were; he knew they were no ordinary stones and this was no ordinary box. Without misplacing their order, he cast .
Dante spared the stones a glance, then shifted his gaze on the red text; he wondered what they were; he knew they were no ordinary stones and this was no ordinary box. Without misplacing their order, he cast .
[dice=Arcana and Spellcraft]1d20 + 5; 1d20 + 5
Rook splashed in the shallow edge of the river and ruffled his feathers. He arched his beak under his outstretched wing and began preening as he thought over the recent events.
He always felt more confused after interactions with these two. What was it Abram always said? "A lake contains a whole world of color and action. Be careful, though the ripples on its surface may hint at the motion below, they are the after effects of something deeper."
"And here I am skipping stones on the surface."
It was times like this, Rook took refuge in simpler times. He shook himself off and hopped in the air with a couple wing drying beats, then headed for his old forest home.
Taking her cues from Samel, Amara moves quietly and cautiously, her eyes flicking constantly hoping to catch something that might be of interest.
Taking her cues from Samel, Amara moves quietly and cautiously, her eyes flicking constantly hoping to catch something that might be of interest.
[dice=knowledge nature; perception; stealth]1d20+7; 1d20+6; 1d20+7
Amara scans the area for little traces of her tiny prey, moving slowly and quietly, examining branches, spots on the ground, leaves on the trees, and the very sky.
Several minutes pass in silence and just then, ahead of her some 20 feet, and perhaps 25 feet up in a tree, she spots one of the small snake creatures. The multicolored serpent sits coiled, tucked back against the tree it is in, at the base of a medium sized branch. Its wings are pulled tight against its body, and the little creature appears to be in the midst of swallowing a smaller mouse.
At the very same time, Amara notices a familiar bird, Rook the crow, in fact, flying into the forest low overhead from the west.
Rook felt a happy sense of nostalgia floating over the familiar trees. Most of the crows he knew had passed away years ago, but he tried to keep tabs on their younglings. The senior members of the murder still shunned him from their inner politics which was fine with him. He enjoyed his status as an outcast. It was simpler.
He let out a few caws to announce his presence and scanned the tree tops.
Amara touches Samel's shoulder and points to the serpent. Upon seeing Rook and hearing his caws Amara pleads wordlesslyplease don't let him scare away our quarry! She remains quiet, her eyes flicking between the creature and Rook. When Rook spots her she gives a little wave and puts her finger to her lips. I hope this is not something Rook would enjoy for lunch! she thinks to herself. She prepares herself to follow if the snake flies off.
Spotting Amara and her hand signal, Rook floats quietly into the shadows of the trees. He bobbed his head and as his eyes flashed green whispered words floated to Amara's ears.
"Hello, friend Amara. Are you on the hunt or being hunted?"
Rook took in the forest sights, sounds and smells, filtering out the familiar. Either way Rook was on the hunt.
Samel takes note of the tree as Amara points out the little snake creature. Blinking with pride, he reflects to himself.... He glances up as Rook floats into a nearby tree from above, and tenses some, also hoping the gregarious crow doesn't scare away the unusual little serpent. Returning his attention to the new "prey", he whispers to Amara;
"Well, you've found it. Well done, girl. It seems to just have gotten a bit of food too, so it probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The question, then, is what do you want to do now?"
Amara relaxes when it becomes apparent the crow hasn't alerted the feasting serpent. She replies back to Rook "Something new my friend! We are just observing for now."
She blushes slightly at Samel's praise, pleased that she has earned his approval. She thinks for a moment then whispers, "I don't know Samel. I don't want to kill it, but I am unsure how to capture it without doing it harm." She pauses again as if trying to come up with a plan, "Perhaps we could just watch a while, maybe an opportunity will present itself."
Rook looks the strange serpent over, trying to place it in folk tale or rumor overheard from travelers passing through Solace. He silently curses, wishing he would have heeded Abram's advice more closely to study not just humanity but all of the Green.
Erec lay in a heap at his brother's feet, His father standing over the both of them. The day was wearing on, and the drill were obviously more than the young man could handle. Normally, he would give only a token effort to his practices, despite his father's insistence, but today he had been showing more effort than ever before. It did him little good though, as Erec just did not seem to have the knack for swordplay.
Everett looked down at his sons. He was breathing only slightly harder than usual, in very good shape given that he hadn't needed to fight for real for quite some time. He enjoyed these sessions with his sons, though. It brought back memories of the companionship and camaraderie he had shared with his fellows in service.
"That's enough for now, I suppose." he said. "Get yourselves a drink. I want you two to think about how you could have done better. It's about time you began working on your own tactics, rather than me tell you what you did wrong."
He planted the practice sword firmly in the ground, and slid the sheild over to Garrett with his boot.
"There's a horse that needs shoeing, and I'd like to talk to Wallace a bit. You boys find a way to make yourselves useful."
As he walked off, he could be seen favoring his shoulder and whispering a bit under his breath "...boy's getting better..."
Rook looks the strange serpent over, trying to place it in folk tale or rumor overheard from travelers passing through Solace. He silently curses, wishing he would have heeded Abram's advice more closely to study not just humanity but all of the Green.
[dice=Bardic Knowledge]1d20 +2
Amara relaxes when it becomes apparent the crow hasn't alerted the feasting serpent. She replies back to Rook "Something new my friend! We are just observing for now."
She blushes slightly at Samel's praise, pleased that she has earned his approval. She thinks for a moment then whispers, "I don't know Samel. I don't want to kill it, but I am unsure how to capture it without doing it harm." She pauses again as if trying to come up with a plan, "Perhaps we could just watch a while, maybe an opportunity will present itself."
"Aye, I doubt any cage would hold it. And you are right, little fox, to kill such a young and interesting creature would be a waste. Having just ate, though, it should be a bit slower. We might be able to knock it out of the tree and into a sack...if you indeed wanted to capture the little bugger."
Samel waited with a grin on his face for Amara's decision on how to proceed.
Erec struggled to right himself, more burdened by the weight of his the ill fitting chain shirt than he had expected. He forced a grin through gritted teeth.
"Yes, brother. One day we'll find something that works."
His jaw was swollen and red, the last strike of his father's spear had caught him flat, but quite squarely. He brushed some dirt from his eyes with a ragged sleeve. He seemed small in almost anything he wore, not only was he skinny, he was short. Some years ago, the other children had started to call him a halfling, but a few stern looks from Garrett ended that quickly enough. Although Erec shared facial features with his brother, the similarities stopped there.
His eyes were an unremarkable grey and his hair, ashen colored, a paler version than his mothers. Currently it was tangled and sweaty, with a humorous bit in the back, where a twig stuck out at an odd angle.
Finally getting to his feet, he leaned a bit on his older brother, suddenly overcome with a bit of dizziness. He shook it off quickly though, and nodded that he was alright.
"Let's get some water, my throat is as dry as old man Higg's jokes." He chuckled a bit at his own joke. "Speaking of Johnas, I wonder what the old man and Havak are up to today?
Rook listens attentively to Samel and Amara's hushed words and watches the lazy serpent enjoy its meal.
He waits for Amara's signal then with a gentle cooing fills the area around the serpent with a soft white noise.
"Well I do happen to have a sack handy..." Amara starts to say before catching a bit of the sound coming down from the tree. She glances up at the crow and gives him a grin, It seems we may have a little bit of help. She waits a moment to see if the little serpent's demeanor appears to change.
"Well I do happen to have a sack handy..." Amara starts to say before catching a bit of the sound coming down from the tree. She glances up at the crow and gives him a grin, It seems we may have a little bit of help. She waits a moment to see if the little serpent's demeanor appears to change.
It's hard to tell for sure, taking into account the size of the little creature and the distance, both out and up, but whatever the crow did (or didn't) do seems to have helped a bit. The tiny serpent, full with the bulge of a recent rodent meal, sits groggy and dazed in its spot in the tree.
The sounds of the forest still, as does the breeze, if only for a moment, in anticipation of the next action.
As Elarya walked back to the smithy, she spotted Garrett and Erec sparring with their father. She stopped and watched for a while, wincing in sympathy as Erec is downed by a blow to the chin. She watches Garrett try and push an assault, but he too is eventually downed. She's too far away to make out the details of the conversation that follows, but her mind wasn't there, it was with her uncles and cousins that taught her to fight. She slowly turns away, wanting so badly to join, but unable to overcome the shame still burning in her heart. She makes her way to the smithy with heavy steps and slumped shoulders.
As Elarya walked back to the smithy, she spotted Garrett and Erec sparring with their father. She stopped and watched for a while, wincing in sympathy as Erec is downed by a blow to the chin. She watches Garrett try and push an assault, but he too is eventually downed. She's too far away to make out the details of the conversation that follows, but her mind wasn't there, it was with her uncles and cousins that taught her to fight. She slowly turns away, wanting so badly to join, but unable to overcome the shame still burning in her heart. She makes her way to the smithy with heavy steps and slumped shoulders.
Abram's face takes on a more serious countenance as Elarya explains the request. He looks puzzled, but soon again his face is relaxed and he grins.
"As long as there is proper respect, and no bodies are disturbed, I can't see the harm. As for helping, I appreciate the offer, my girl, but I think we can handle it, despite all our extra thumbs." With that he gives Elarya a friendly pat on the arm and goes back to work.
back at the smithy, Wallace works away, sweating and pounding over and over on the forge. The horseshoes are coming along, it looks like he decided to make several extras, of slightly varying sizes.
Arm to brow, he looks up as Elarya returns.
"Well girl? What news? Can the thing be done?"
He drops the closest shoe in the water with the tongs and a sizzle of steam shoots up to the top of open area.
Dante stared at the box intently; he had no idea what these stones were for. Circling around like a vulture on a carcass, questions came into his mind: questions he couldn't answer. His pride settled down and he picked up the box and decided to look for Corvina once more; it could have been one of her toys, but then again, Corvina tends to play a bit dangerously.
He walked over to her house, box and mask in hand, however his focus was on the questions rather than the path he took. Midway, he stumbled on a root and dropped the box, thusly opening it and spilling the stones on the ground.
Elarya tries to put on a smile, or at least look like she's not as unhappy as she is, but the attempt falls flat. She doesn't look directly at the man who had given her a place to stay and work to do.
"Aye, he needs to gather everything, but he can get us the things we need to do it. Forging the weapon shouldn't be too hard."
She starts cleaning up her area and looks for anything to work on while she does so. She looks at the almost finished horseshoes for a moment before deciding better of it. She looked over her work from earlier and tries to find something, anything, that she missed, but her skill was such that she hadn't.
Dante stared at the box intently; he had no idea what these stones were for. Circling around like a vulture on a carcass, questions came into his mind: questions he couldn't answer. His pride settled down and he picked up the box and decided to look for Corvina once more; it could have been one of her toys, but then again, Corvina tends to play a bit dangerously.
He walked over to her house, box and mask in hand, however his focus was on the questions rather than the path he took. Midway, he stumbled on a root and dropped the box, thusly opening it and spilling the stones on the ground.
Dante hit the ground with a thud, the stones hitting the soft dirt with little more sound, the mask also loosed from his grip. It seemed to turn over several times before finally settling itself, face up staring at the sky. When the boy rose to his feet and composed himself, as much as he ever did, he noticed something odd. The stones had seemed to fall in a pattern. Coincidence? It was hard to say where gifts with Corvina were concerned. He knew from the past that getting a straight answer from her was often like waiting for the rain to change color. Dante blinked and his eyes adjusted on what he was looking at. The stones. They had fallen thusly: the box on it's side, mouth facing the river; then his precious mask, blindly and unblinkingly looking up; and just to the right the stones settled a trail. Each was rune up, one after the next, as dotting a line on a map, pointing north and west of town.
Elarya tries to put on a smile, or at least look like she's not as unhappy as she is, but the attempt falls flat. She doesn't look directly at the man who had given her a place to stay and work to do.
"Aye, he needs to gather everything, but he can get us the things we need to do it. Forging the weapon shouldn't be too hard."
She starts cleaning up her area and looks for anything to work on while she does so. She looks at the almost finished horseshoes for a moment before deciding better of it. She looked over her work from earlier and tries to find something, anything, that she missed, but her skill was such that she hadn't.
Wallace recognized the look on Elarya's face, one he had seen all too often before. Her skill was such that she rarely had to go over her work more than once, and unfortunately for her, it made her complete her work quickly. He knew that giving her tasks just to keep her busy were what she wanted, something to keep her focused on the here and now. Something to keep her away from her past. He also knew that it was getting harder and harder to distract her from those thoughts, especially as the seasons cooled down. She, to him, seemed like a girl with fire in her blood. She needed motion, action.
Looking as stern as he could, he spoke."Well then. The sooner those things are gathered, the sooner we can begin. Perhaps you could help move things along." He paused for a moment, seeming a bit awkward. Then, moving to his shelf, he pulled a object wrapped tightly in cloth, just the tip of a hilt protruding, and offered it to her.
Celeste had me work over her shortsword a bit. You can leave it at her house, or find the boy I think Roland said he saw him by the Black Tree. It's up to you, but she should get this blade today.
He grabbed a nearby tin cup and took a gulp of water from it.
"Everett Snow said he'd come by today, we have to discuss a few things, so I may be talking to him for a while.
Interest in the creature has decided Amara's actions and thanks to Rook the conditions are as favourable as they are likely to get. She looks briefly to Samel,"I will try the climb and attempt to catch our prize." She lightens her load of everything but her sack and twine and begins the ascent.
Wallace recognized the look on Elarya's face, one he had seen all too often before. Her skill was such that she rarely had to go over her work more than once, and unfortunately for her, it made her complete her work quickly. He knew that giving her tasks just to keep her busy were what she wanted, something to keep her focused on the here and now. Something to keep her away from her past. He also knew that it was getting harder and harder to distract her from those thoughts, especially as the seasons cooled down. She, to him, seemed like a girl with fire in her blood. She needed motion, action.
Looking as stern as he could, he spoke.
"Well then. The sooner those things are gathered, the sooner we can begin. Perhaps you could help move things along." He paused for a moment, seeming a bit awkward. Then, moving to his shelf, he pulled a object wrapped tightly in cloth, just the tip of a hilt protruding, and offered it to her.
Celeste had me work over her shortsword a bit. You can leave it at her house, or find the boy I think Roland said he saw him by the Black Tree. It's up to you, but she should get this blade today.
He grabbed a nearby tin cup and took a gulp of water from it.
"Everett Snow said he'd come by today, we have to discuss a few, so I may be talking to him for a while.
Elarya looks over her workspace again, everything's up, and clean. There wasn't anything else for her to do, except take the sword and deliver it.
"I think I'll leave it at her house if I can't find her. I'm afraid that Dante might cut himself without meaning to if I give it to him."
She gives a chuckle, without malice, and even a shadow of what could be called humor. She takes the sword and carefully tucks it under an arm before giving Wallace a wave and heading off.
Despite her words, she decided to see Dante first. She felt for the lad, she really did. In many ways they were just two outsiders looking in, neither really a part of the town. She wasn't a slow walker, not by any stretch. She did take her time, though. She mulled over the emotions she felt while watching Everett and his two sons spar. What was it she felt? Shame? Guilt?
Grief.
The answer hits her like a sledge to the chest. She stops in her tracks for a moment as tears and sobs well up and threaten to come spilling out.
Nonononono! Not here! Not NOW!
Through sheer force of will, she chokes her emotions back down. A tear rolls down her cheek, but it's easily wiped away. She continues on, now her mind a maelstrom of emotions and warring thoughts. Memories of her uncle, stripped of everything but his shredded clothing and his sword keep flashing in her mind. Her steps become quicker and quicker until she's off at a run,
And nearly bowls Dante over.
Fortunately her reflexes are good and she twists around him while moving the sword up against her chest to protect it and the boy she almost ran into. Her reflexes are good, but her balance is off. After a missing Dante, Elarya is now facing the opposite way from where she came and falls flat on her back, knocking the wind out of her.
Interest in the creature has decided Amara's actions and thanks to Rook the conditions are as favourable as they are likely to get. She looks briefly to Samel,"I will try the climb and attempt to catch our prize." She lightens her load of everything but her sack and twine and begins the ascent.
[dice=climb check]1d20+5
Amara quickly scurried up the tree, expertly placing her hands and feet. In no time at all, she had positioned herself on a branch just below her prey, gripping the relatively small branch with her legs. Samel stood below, making slow movements to place himself below in just the right spot. He grinned with anticipation, prepared to catch either the creature or Amara,should she fall. With the determination on her face, though, he doubted either would happen. The little beastie still looked disoriented, so it was clear that Amara had a relatively good shot of grabbing the creature and stuffing it into the bag. It would be a bit trickier, though, to do all this and hold onto the tree as well.
Dante watched her slip. Then he pulled himself to look at the stones and pick them up. The watchtower and the quarry, he thought. Elarya was lying flat on the ground, encapsulated by the clay-colored dust cloud signifying her impact. Dante looked at her: the blonde-locked girl with the almond skin. He didn't know much about her: the usual passings-by at the smithery, stories whether truth or rumor, and nothing more. Embarassed, Dante turned around once more to the stones and his mask.
"Elarya, right? Sorry." Dante looked around, as if he was trying to argue with himself the ethical debate on society and isolation. He fumbled on a stone, which rolled its way to Elarya and hit her on the head, then Dante shook his own in frustration, scrambled to Elarya, and picked up the last stone: the first instance in months Dante had had a face right in front of his other than Celeste or Corvina. He stood up, placed the stone in the box, and shut it tight with a last minute remembrance of Celeste's teachings on good behavior as he reached out his pale, stress-sweaty hand towards Elarya while his thoughts still lingered on his new map.
Elary just lay there for a few moments trying to catch her breath. The fall had blasted the wind out of her, and she was gasping for air. She finally regained her senses enough to talk, her accent coming through.
"'Ello Dante, sorry 'bout almost runnin' ye over."
She places the sword carefully to the side before reaching up and grabbing Dante's hand. She manages to get to sitting before the world starts spinning again. She curls up and put her head between her knees. When she hears Garrett, her words are muffled by her knees, but still clear enough.
"I-I think so. Missed Dante, an' all that 'appened to me was getting the wind knocked outta me.".
Dante turned to the two, who were more friendly than he could manage. He bit his lip, then shook his head. "I'm off to the watchtower now. I have things to do," he said. There was a tremble in his voice.
Rook tenses in anticipation as Amara nears the creature. Watching the hapless creature he wonders what it would have been like to be caught himself. He's seen captured animals and the crazed look in their eyes. The terror...
He shakes off the dark thoughts refocusing on the moment. This creature is dangerous, unpredictable, but he doubted magic like this could ever truly be contained.
He readies the powerful magic incantation the old woman taught him so long ago, in case things go widly out of hand. He had yet to use it with humans around. He was unsure how it would affect them, or how they would react knowing he wielded such power.
Erec arrived in front of the house that Johnas and Havak shared, still clutching his sensetive jaw. Still seing the goblin outside, working his art, he waved, and a muffled "hello" came from his lips.
The boy, curiously enough, had taken a liking to Havak quite quickly. Unlike his brother, Erec was a reader, and would latch on to any writen word he could find. Sometimes, Havak was the only source of that. Although Erec didn't drink, he would sometimes spend hours listeing to the goblin and his thoughts on magical theory, and occasionally, he would even offer his own theories.
After a bit of wincing, Erec smiled genuinely.
"What are you up to today? Need help with anything?"
He paused for a moment, and looked back towards the Snow house, looking a bit more excited then.
"Oh, and if you've got some time later, I think I found an interesting interaction between lunar waveforms and auro-cognitive motion. I have my scroll back at the house, if you could look it over."
Then with a barely tangible bit of bitterness,
...um, and Garrett will be by as well."
Dante turned to the two, who were more friendly than he could manage. He bit his lip, then shook his head. "I'm off to the watchtower now. I have things to do," he said. There was a tremble in his voice.
"Havak need no help. Just working on optimal mix of tea and peach mash to increase customer base. I am currently awaiting word about materials from the blonde one. We can talk of your scroll later, but I have a certain feeling about this project. Something weird is in the air today. Havak feels it. "