Here it is. Dot away.
There is a squirrel asleep in the hollow of an exceptionally large tree. Its fur has a slight green tint and its tail has a few leaves growing out of it.
I'm dotty
FIREDOTBALL!
Sorry didn't realize we were starting. If I miss a post please PM me.
it's a nice, clear day in Maceriam. The light filters through the barren trees, shade here and there. The weather is warming up, but it's still early in the day, and you can see your breath in front of your face. Only 2 days until it's officially spring, and everyone is rushing all about, preparing for the festival. The city walls are sturdy, and several times your hight, but as always, some animals try to climb it, and are shooed away by the guard. Several animals with green collars wander about, even the snakes, they haven't been out for a while. The streets are barren as usual, any plant life in the streets would get tint he way, but some houses keep some short gras by their houses to make it look nice. The houses puff small amounts of smoke from their chimneys, almost 6 times taller then you. Closer to the center of town, there is a large rim of grass grown around a central marketplace, where trade is at quite the high, spring approaching every second. Winter was harsh, and most are happy to see it go.
As the lazy winter languished on, Fanz had been stuck in his tree for such a long time.
This wasn't such a bad thing. It was /quite/ the tree. The trunk was about 6 feet in diameter and there was plenty of room on the inside, several floors made with a ladder up to the next and an entrance at the bottom and top of each room to the next.
There totaled five floors in all and the top and bottom floors had a real door for each going to the outside, one for taking company that lead up to the branches of the tree and one that was for taking customers in the bottom.
The top floor was a fairly sparce, a meeting room for other squirrels and things that could climb, despite how much smarter he was than most animals.
The floor below that was where he slept and also the only room where the entrances could both be blocked. It was where he piled most of his things. Broken tools, dried plants, thingmabobs and whatsits of all sorts he had collected over his time. He never needed to gather nuts or food for winter, so his instinctual gathering lead to this instead.
The floor below that one was another room full of things, although most of these were wood pieces that told good stories. All the bumps and rings, were to most people just what made it a stick not worth becoming an arrow. To him they were pages of magnificent tomes that told the stories the tree had grown for him to read.
The second floor to the bottom is where he spent most of his time either reading sticks before they went up to the next floor or practicing magic the gods had decided to give to a squirrel.
The bottom floor is arguably the most important. Thus is where he did buisness. For however much you could afford to pay, sometimes free, sometimes with good charity towards him, he would read wood for you. Bringing him a stick or piece of bark that the gods lead you to choose, he would tell you what it said and what you could try to expect. It wasn't terribly reliable, but when it proved to be so, he could be happy with them or give them an 'I warned you.' On the door that lead to his fortune telling business was a small sign that read in their native language,
"The Oracle of Maceriam is in.
Bring in your piece to be read."
It also just so happened that the sign hung on the door was reversable and on the converse side read,
"The Oracle of Maceriam is not giving readings at this moment. Deepest apologies."
For a fair time the door had remained unopened with the Oracle still being in and the sign saying so.
Winter was simply not a good time for him. People had more important things to do than have silly fortunes read out of silly wood by a silly squirrel.
Now, Spring? Spring was a different story. He loved the Spring. It was warm, which he very much loved and all the plants and trees were seemingly back from their long slumber in full force. This was also good for buisness. People were coming to the town for the festival and tourists love silly things like fortunes and squirrels. There was a new stock of reading material too.
Buisness was also good in the spring because it was the start of the Fey's new year. People wanted to see what to expect for the coming year and he was just the one that could possibly tell them.
No prediction was more important than the one on the first day of Spring. The festival always had him make a prediction from the tree near the center of town. This would tell them what to expect during the year, whether Spring would be on time and a good or bad prediction of the following year. It was his and several other people's favorite part if the festival, him because he felt important and others because it gave them something to look forward to.
Now, he himself is also worth describing.
He is about the average size for a squirrel and had longish fur and a lengthly tail. His fur is what set him apart. It has a slight green tint to it and a few short pine needles growing out here and there. His tail more so than the rest. Also among the fur of his tail are three deep purple berries that grow each day. At the end if the day he eats one and it sustains him to the next day.
His plantlike physiology caused him to always smell like a pine tree, which was beneficial to not being attacked by predators.
His eyes are deep brown with flecks of green at the edge.
His clothing is much like other Fey near here and other animals that where it. It consists of a dyed green vest with purple trim, a belt across it with his storing bag on it and two sleeves that run just up his forearms, wrist to elbow, not upper arms or hands. On his feet are wrapped green cloths to protect his pads, but not restrict him while climbing. The green band that signifies him as being intelegent is worn loosely around his neck, with a leaf pendant hung from it as a medallion.
A small fey male lays on a bed sleeping quietly as a line of light slowly reaches his eyes. He has hair the same shade as fall leaves, down to the slightly darker bits that look like a leaves veins. His skin looks slightly wooden with faint lines that are reminiscent of oak bark. When he opens his mouth in his sleep his teeth seem a bit sharper than the average fey's. Helix woke up all at once his green eyes quickly shutting from the glare, like he always does gripping his right arm with his left. The dream wasn't so bad that night but only because the open window had dawn light pouring on his face. in his little hovel just outside of town. Helix begins his day getting his complaints out of the way.
You would think that one little fire wouldn't get me kicked out of town and banned him from some of the more fiery parts of the alchemists arts.
he sighs
It didn't even get past my lab
carefully not remembering it was the cleric creating water on that stopped the fire from spreading.
Ah well focusing on the other parts of my art helped them get along faster.
Helix dresses himself in his clothing the pale lavender shirt mixing poorly with pants as red as his hair. But setting out the barklike skin to its best effect.
He collects his goods from his lab and heads to the market ground it hawk his wears. The fact that he is the only source for the various unguents and tools within is probably the only reason I am still allowed in town.
[ooc]nice post fanz[ooc]
someone begins setting up a booth in the town trading center. When he finished the booth, he sets a large backpack under the booth, and puts up a sign saying "objects inspired from around the world". Now, fey aren't supposed to leave the borders of the forest, due to a taboo. Anyone caught doing so is usually shunned... Most everyone seems to avoid this man, silently watching for any customers.
Douglass flew overhead on his massive bird, everyone said he was crazy when he said he wanted a better mount than the birds he trained day in and day out, but who's laughing now, he whoops with joy at the sensation of going so fast, the wind in his hair, oh how he dreamed of being able to fly with wings of his very own, this though was certainly the next best thing though.
Fanz had just finished another early tourist reading and was impulsively sweeping the room with his tail and a bit of magic. He hummed while he worked. Talking to customers was different from humming. He had to use his mind and speak their language. Why couldn't they all just learn to speak squirrel, like civilized people? Well. Civilized isn't the best term. They weren't the brightest, but hey, they're family. What could he do?
With a final swish across the entrance, he was finished. With a contented sigh he turns out towards the town and the festival. It was going to be a good year. He didn't need wood or revelations of the gods to tell him that. It's just a feeling that he had. He could feel it in his fur. And his fur was always right.
Fur feelings aside, now he could check out the early vendors at the festival, before he started getting swamped with readings to do.
He switches his sign around. Normally this would be such a mundane thing, that people wouldn't bother to describe it, but the fortune telling squirrel is anything, but mundane.
For him, turning the sign was a hassle. He was never good with much of anything he touched. It always managed to break, loose strings, bent tools, broken chairs. Always something.
Fortunately, he had years of experience with this sign. He knew just what to do. As soon as he picked it off the nail, the string fell out of one end, like always. He went into the practiced motion of looping the string back over the nail the right way and holding it against the door, so it didn't slip off, before it fixed itself when he let it go.
Now to make sure the door stayed shut. He had given up locks and keys, long ago. They'd jammed and broken and even fallen straight out of the door. Now he just took knob off. It worked fine with other people, but the knob breaking off was kind of like having a key for him. The door wouldn't open without it, so the purpose was served. Getting back in and out is the tough part.
Slipping the broken knob into his storage pouch, he sets off to the festival grounds.
He passes through the gate to the town with a wave to the guard. He lived just outside town and was familiar with the gatekeeper. Nice boy, if a little absentminded sometimes.
Once in town he pads past rows of carts, many of which had been back from previous years. He did greetings of return vendors and locals who had also joined the market.
It so happened that there was a new vendor this year. It also so happened that he was claiming to have objects from outside the forest. That can't be. He wouldnt be here if he'd left. No one /ever/ left the forest.
::"Hello. I am Fanz Leaffur. ":: he projects with a wave to indicate that it was indeed him speaking.
::"I have to ask. What is it that you have here?"::
He looks over the wares of the cart, careful not to touch anything, paws held together out of habit.
there seems to be nothing on the booth.
"I sell many, many things from many, many places. I gather things you've probably never seen or heard of, from far off lands. I keep them under the desk, in my magic bag. Is there anything you're looking for?"
his outfit is a dark green robe with a purple trim made with sturdy spider silks. It's perfectly clean. His hood is designed to cover his face, and you can't make it out. You can't even make out his skin tone...
The fairly chubby Squirell looks speculatively at the cart. Why all the secrecy?
::Do you have anything wooden? Tree limbs, bark, things like that?::
"No, sorry, i don't. I can show you a few things i have."
he draws out of his bag quite a few things- a shard of ice, a bottle of dark, dark wine, a silky ball about half as large as the fey himself, and finally a small bag.
Helix has just finished selling some Clear Ear to a green snake and sees one of his best customers talking to a near by merchant. There is no one else in front of his shop so he grabs a basket of his favorite wood polish and wanders over to the stall.
Hey Fanz I just finished your order of wood polish, what you looking at.
Helix says as he walks up to the squirrel and takes a look at the
merchants wares. positioning him self so Fanz can see the basket and hopefully buy it before spending money in another booth.
helix, you may notice that the cloak of the man is bulging slightly in the back. Also, make a knowladge (nature) check, both of you, if you will. Also, some of his objects are magic.
Noticing the glimmer of magic on the object Helix takes a closer look trying to see what it is.
Then noticing an odd bulge on the cloaked figure Helix thinks back to the many, many creatures he has "examined" over the years to figure out what the merchant is.
the merchent's bulge doesn't tell you anything, but the white silk pouch reminds you of a spider's egg pouch, but much larger. The shard, wine,and silky ball aren't magical, but the bag has a large amount of varied magic, mostly transmutation, inside it, but you can't make out what. The merchant also has a few magic auras under his clothing.
the man speaks up
"Would You prefer i just tell you what they are? You could ask."
Helix take a good look at the magical items under the merchants clothing
thinking that a large spider's egg pouch would be valuable addition to the things he wants to examine and the magic in the bag looks interesting he asks.
My, my that is some nice looking stuff how much for the bag and the white item good sir. Oh and Fanz here is the polish pay anytime you can. Helix places he now empty basket on the counter for the bag so he can carry it and the egg at the same time.
"the bag is full of magical candy with unknown effects. I do know, by my own trial, that the white one heals, and the green one causes spiked vine like growths for a short time, quite vicious. The bag will run you 500 coins, and the egg 150. Also,why are you staring at my clothes? Are you interested in my tattoos?"
::I keep telling you that I don't want any 'polish'... it gets in the way of readings and the bottle would just break anyways...::
He wasn't sure why this guy kept insisting on him needing this 'polish' stuff. He didn't want chemicals and things all over his stories.
Fanz doesn't seem interested in any of the wares, more so how he got them.
::Where did you get these things? There's only ice in the winter. And how is it still frozen?::
"It's an alchemical mixture made to be thrown as a weapon, shattering on inpact. It never melts."
His attempt to get the flighty squirrel to but his goods failing once again, he turns to the merchant and says
How many differnt kinds of beans are there. Yes I am I like the way the patterns of magic glow through your robe. The effect is quite startling.
"Thank you. Each of them is a scroll of a spell that most people don't have access to. I learned the trick on my travels. Anyway, in this bag, there are four different types, but I've seen five different types, and the notes i have suggest there is another. Anyway, this one has a blue, 2 whites, a green, and a red. They won't go so cheap after i get the process of making them perfect, but right now, i just get random beans, so i fill a bag with spares and sell them cheap."
Douglas swoops down on his bird of prey near the town, he contemplates taking the bird into the town but after the last time where that rabbit nerely had a heart attack, and he got in trouble, it probably wasn't the best of ideas. still, there was fun to be had on this day. He puts the bird in the stables, petting it as he goes, before heading out to the festivities
Helix thinks a moment and decides to go for the bag alone.
I will take the bag good sir, but one last question the green bean needs to be thrown at an enemy to work yes.
Helix takes his coins out of the pouch and hands them to the merchant.
"No, the vines grow out of you, and are quite strong, and covered in spikes. Like all of them, they must be eaten. They can hit pretty hard. When i tested them, they lasted about 18 seconds."
he swipes up the money using a trick with his cloak, so you never even see his hand.
::And what's in the bottle, for curiosity sake? And where did all these things come from?::
The squirrel cocks its head to one side while posing its question. Kinda cute, if it wasn't twice your size...
"A blend of a special extract from a nightshade plant. It cures most paralytic toxins... As for where, i made most of the this here after things i found in my travels."
he looks back and forth, odd compared to his normally still nature.
::Travels where? I've considered taking buisness on the road, but the forest doesn't have all that much to see.::
He considers the man's motions with due interest.
"No, it really doesn't."
he smiles wide! and his hood tilts up a little. Exposing white teeth and pale skin.
::I see. Well. I wish you luck with your sales.::
He begins to walk away and thinks to himself.
He's going to need it.
the man says nothing as you walk away, turning back to helix.
Helix leans closer to the merchant and keeping his voice down he begins to talk
Well good sir if there isn't anything else I have my own booth to get back to as well. That is what I would like to be able to say but you have peaked my interest. Now that the squirrel is gone can you tell me what is with all the oblique hints that you have been traveling past the forest. And why have you been so obvious about it when it is forbidden
he chuckles.
"Now, why just hint at it? I'll blatantly say it- I've been well beyond the forest. It's quite interesting out there, actually."
Can you use more detail I haven't been out there. I am barely tolerated as is and can't risk the problems caused by breaking the taboo.
Helix looks entranced by the possibility of learning more about the world outside. His eyes are bright and almost childlike in excitement for the information.
"I could tell you, but you can get into just as much trouble by me telling you... At least, if they find out. Hehe."
Helix leans in toward the merchant with a suave grin and says
Well there is later we can talk after the market closes you know. My home is outside of town we can have a meal talk about your travels, other things.
"Well, i won't be around here that long. I'm surprised they aren't after me yet."
Douglas seems to pick this point wo walk in to the market place
He walks up to the stall where they are talking.
the merchant looks over to Douglas. "Are you here to buy or run me out?"
? he looks confused "why would I be here to run you out?"
he chuckes, wondering if his sign isn't advertising enough.
"I suppose not then. Come here, I've got much to show."
there are magical auras over his stall.
"well what 'cha selling"
"Many things. Alchemical weaponry, poison antidotes, magic tattoos, and this."
he puts his hand on the silky ball.
"like what, and what's the ball?"
"I just told you what. And it's a spider egg."