” How old is the village? Is it a new settlement or has it been shrouded in secrecy for generations?”
Lysandra brightens up a bit as Ari asks her question.
”Ah, this I know. The village was founded after an early spiritual leader in the church found a holy site inside the forest, around 25 years ago. So it is well established. Unfortunately, the elders have been just as secretive about what the ‘holy site’ actually is or what it is for.”
”If the Sharrans are behind the sudden silence, then it most certainly has something to do with the holy site the village was constructed to protect.”
"Still, when I was insisting we travel during the day, I didn't know that sunlight caused you that much trouble. I'm sorry for being so pushy about it," Kiley says.
"You didn't know and I didn't explain. When you're just meeting you go along to get along. We're alright, Kiley - just know in the dark I've got your back and trust me. I definitely see better then," replies Sasha with a hand-squeeze for her new friend.
Kiley looks down at her hand in surprise as Sasha takes hold of it and gives it a squeeze. She smiles as she looks up and returns the squeeze.
"Alright, and whenever we're in the light, I've got your back," she says, feeling a little better about the situation.
The group finishes lunch quickly after the conversation ends, and you get moving on the road again shortly thereafter.
Fortunately the second half of the day passes much less eventfully than the previous days, and you are within less than a day from the Glade before too long. Around dusk, as the sun begins to slide beyond the horizon and the moon pokes its head out behind the clouds, Lysandra begins the search for a suitable campsite.
"Ideally we don't want to camp on the road, given the goblin activity in this area. Do any of you have any 'special needs' for sleeping quarters?" she asks jokingly, smiling at the group.
As night falls and the moon begins to rise, Kiley adjusts her cloak and clothing to hide as much of her skin as possible.
"Special needs," Kiley asks before realizing what Lysnadra's asking them. Her cheeks redden as shakes her head and waves her hands in front of her.
"N-no! I-I'm fine," she stammers.
”Assuming that a four poster bed isn’t on the cards then no,” Ari answers. ”Sounds like a sensible precaution though. I guess we’re looking for somewhere hidden and ideally defensible.”
Sasha snorts in laughter at the suggestion of "special needs." She shakes her head and just points to Pheliks with a smirk. "We'll be fine as long as no one tries to cage him," she jokes.
Soon enough you find a nice defensible spot behind a small copse of trees and set up your tents. Lysandra serves a small dinner of crackers and dried meat before wishing you all a good night and retiring to her tent.
"Just think, this time tomorrow we'll be in the Glade and can finally get to the bottom of all this excitement!"
The moon is high in the sky without a single cloud in sight as you prepare for sleep. It does not come easily, however, as each of you seemingly awaken to a mist filled forest at the edge of a moon-lit clearing. The air is thick with an eerie stillness, broken only by the distant howl of wolves. The trees surrounding you sway gently, their silver leaves shimmering in the pale moonlight. It does not take much to notice that you are dreaming, as each of you finds yourself alone.
Ahead you spot a clearing and you find yourselves inexplicably drawn to it though you cant explain why. A few steps through the remaining trees between you and the clearing reveals a bright silver light emanating from nowhere and everywhere. You look up to see where it's coming from and suddenly the forest isn't the forest anymore. The sky above you is a ceiling, perhaps of a basement? You hear a door open somewhere far off in the distance and each of you resurface from the dream at the same time.
Lysandra startles awake alongside you before looking around the camp.
"Did you..." her voice trails off as she sees you all awake.
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The talk of goblin bands in the vicinity has Ari on edge and it takes a while before she settles into sleep. When she comes to, it is into a thick haze, chill and clinging. For a second she thinks she is back in the Cavern of Mists - use of obscuring clouds to block visibility and hide within were common in both training exercises and prayer rituals. But no, she can make out the outlines of trees, so clearly she is somewhere else. There is no sound or movement and no sign of anyone else either. So. Magic or a dream, then, she thinks.
She shrugs off the vestiges of sleep and is immediately on high alert. Quick as a flash she snaps a knife into each hand, keeping a tight grip on one and lightly sending the other spinning up, where she plucks it out of the air with her tail. Behind her, a howl fractures the silence, causing Ari to whirl round and fall into a defensive crouch. A few seconds later it is echoed by an answering call. Wolves. Some way off, as best she can tell, though still a little too close to feel truly comfortable about the presence of wild beasts.
A gentle rustle of leaves ahead shows movement in a couple of the trees. A signal? Cautiously Ari approaches. The trees shimmer and wave again, seeming to beckon her on. Ahead of the tiefling other pairs of trees repeat the movement, creating a path. Softly Ari pads forward, all feline grace and armed with weapons as formidable as any claws. It is the movement of a hunter, both practiced and instinctual, though she has the uncomfortable feeling that she might just be the mouse in this scenario.
She turns to look back in the direction of the wolves' cry. There has been no follow up and no sign of the creatures so she continues down the avenue of trees towards a softly glowing silver radiance that seems to intensify as she approaches.
The trees part to a clearing and just before she enters, Ari checks for hidden presences. Satisfied that she remains alone, she drops to a knee and uses the hilt of her dagger to scratch a spiral in the dirt. She then completes her drawing by surrounding it with a triangle: the holy symbol of Leira. "Mother of All Illusion," she whispers. "Your servant." She bows her head and kisses the earth. Her tail waves behind her in a weaving, almost metronomic pattern, on guard still during Ari's moment of vulnerability. "Mistshadow, grant me the grace to strip the veils, to see only what needs to be seen. I pledge to keep secret that which I learn; to deflect and obscure, and to have the wisdom to know what to show and what to hide." She reaches a hand inside her waistband and traces a finger along the hidden holy symbol inked invisibly on her hip. "Truth is subjective," she finishes, lifting her head and rising smoothly to her feet.
Ari stands on the outskirts, looking into the glade. The light emanating from the place is reminiscent of moonlight but doesn't appear to have a source or a centre. Fortified by her prayer, the tiefling steps into the light. No sooner has she done so, however, than she feels she is suddenly falling, hurtling downward so quickly the breath is squeezed from her lungs. The sensation only lasts a couple of heartbeats but it is painfully vivid. Her mind flashes to what she felt as much as saw: the forest, vanishing in an instant to be replaced by a room, all wood ceiling and dim lighting. A basement? A prison cell? Just a glimpse and then it too is gone.
Ari exhales heavily, her muscles feeling like she has just come to the end of a midnight rooftop run. She subconsciously realises that she remains upright and suspects that for all that the fall felt real, her feet probably never actually left the ground. A shiver runs through her from top to tail nonetheless. Trying to shake off the feeling, she snaps back on guard, before relaxing - at least slightly - when she realises that she is back at the camp and her companions are all present.
Locking eyes with Lysandra, she simply nods at her unfinished question. "Judging by everyone's appearance, we all went through something similar, sure as Sune is sweet," she adds quietly as she takes in the expressions the rest of the group are wearing.
Kiley wakes up screaming in denial, the memories of the dream or vision or whatever it was muddled by blind panic as she realized she was a captive again. As she comes back to her senses, she looks around the tent she and Shaggar share. Slowly, the panic eases and she begins to sob. How long has it been since she's had a nightmare like that? She'd had plenty of them after being rescued from the Zhentarim by Shaggar and the Bedine, but they'd been fewer and further between as the months wore on.
That was odd... thinks the gnoll as he is startled awake by either the dream or Kiley screaming. He bolts up, and quickly tries to figure out what he can do for the sobbing woman. This was outside his experience. He tentatively opens his arms to offer her a hug, if that's what she needs...
Kiley isn't sure how she wound up being hugged by Shaggar, but as she calms down, she's grateful her friend is there. Her ears are half-flattened against her skull, a clear sign she's still agitated as her tail wraps around her curled up legs.
"Sorry," she rasps. "N-nightmare."
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The gnoll rubs her back awkwardly and tries to lighten her mood, "Nightmare? Hmmm... Is it the one where you find yourself standing on the top of a pyramid, in sort of Sun God robes... and a thousand naked women are screaming and throwing little, tiny pickles at you?" *
Kiley manages to laugh at the absurd image Shaggar paints with his description.
"You're a good friend, Shaggar," she says as her ears perk up. "Did I hear Lysandra and Ari talking," she asks after a moment.
Kiley quickly hides her ears and tail as she hears the others stirring. Seeing that the moon was still out, she tries to cover herself up to avoid the betraying glow of the markings that had been given to her by her demonic ancestor. As long as she appeared human, she thought, she wouldn't have to worry about the Zhentarim finding her.
In her haste, however, she doesn't properly don her keffiyah, and as she exits the tent, the drag on it pulls it from her shoulders before she notices and can grab it. When the moonlight hits her skin, white markings glowing like the moon itself appear, sharp, yet intricate and beautifully flowing. When she notices, she freezes and looks to the others.
Ari blinks as the markings illuminating Kiley's skin are revealed. It's a surprise but also one that makes sense of some things that have been puzzling her. So. That would explain the hesitation around travelling at night - beyond what would be normal for someone who doesn't see so well in the dark - not to mention when she was treading a careful path past the moonlit window.. She inclines her head towards the other woman. "A gift from Selûne?" she asks. "Or perhaps a prayer in her honour?"
Sasha's eyes snap open at the end of the dream and she sits there for several long, slow breaths as she commits it to memory. Mouthing a prayer of thanks to Selûne for the presumably-oracular dream, the woman shakes her head and looks about her. "I don't usually have trouble staying awake for a night watch - I'm sorry, everyone..." she says before realizing that no one else seems concerned about the watch.
As Kiley and Shaggar pair up and she sees Ari and Lysandra already talking, Sasha nods and shrugs. With a sharp whistle she calls Pheliks to her. "Are we still safe, buddy?" she asks as he comes up, pressing her head against his in a familiar, feline-greeting.
Kiley shakes her at Ari's question and pulls the scarf from her head revealing her cat-like ears. The markings in their fur also glow white as do the ones on her tail as she uncoils it from around her waist.
"I'm not human," she says quietly. "Sasha, Lysandra, have you ever heard of a demon known as the Bloodied Fangs of the Moon, Chaan'ke Khoonalhe?"
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Ari nods in response to the answer. She has known that Kiley wasn't human pretty much since they met, but as far as she's concerned that was the woman's secret to share or not as she chose. "Don't tell anyone but neither am I," she quips lightly, waggling her own pointed ears. "And I'm sorry if this is a surprise but I'm pretty sure Shaggar isn't either." Perhaps this isn't an appropriate time for levity, but the question about the demon sounds ominous so Ari instinctively covers up her nerves with a joke.
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The gnoll snorts. "I am a gorgeous human. This is my disguise. "
"'Tis true," Kiley laughs, the humor Ari and Shaggar show helping relieve some of the tension she feels. "He wears it so that he isn't constantly mobbed by women wanting various things from him."
Still, the moment of levity is short-lived as she explains further.
"Unfortunately, the reason I try to hide what I am is because I've been in the hands of the Zhentarim twice in my life. The first time I was rescued by my parents," her voice cracks as she remembers how those years of happiness and joy came to a crashing end. "Shaggar and the Bedine tribe he belongs to saved me the second time. A girl with auburn hair and a scarf around her head is less likely to get attention than a girl with auburn hair and cat-ear, and the Zhentarim aren't the only ones that I'm worried about trying to find me."
Sasha shakes her head at Kiley's question. "Chaan'ke Khoonalhe is new to me - why? If you're trying to say you're a demon, I don't believe that," she says with a smirk. As the others make their rather-more-obvious admissions to not being (fully) human Sasha shrugs and chimes in, saying, "I left Hillsfar cause they don't like folks with mixed blood. It's not that important to me who someone's parents are - it's who they are that matters."
The story of the Zhentarim makes Sasha scowl angrily. "No good at all, those bastards. I've been able to steer clear of them in my travels so far. Sorry to hear you haven't had such luck, Kiley."
"No, I'm no demon. I just have her blood in my veins and I'd really rather not run into her cult. Momma didn't find much on them or the demoness herself, but what she did find was disturbing enough to give us both nightmares," Kiley explains, obviously relieved that she isn't having to keep so many secrets. The relief is short-lived as she mentions the Zhentarim, however.
"Kinda hard to avoid them when your birth parents sell you to them," she mutters.
Sucking air in through her teeth, a noise reminiscent of an angry cat, Ari is seething. She completely understands why Kiley would hide her heritage - indeed, has implicitly said as much - and not wanting to advertise her presence to the Zhentarim seems eminently reasonable.
Unfortunately, Ari is not always reasonable when she considers her personal safety to be at risk. "Hrast it, Kiley! Remember when I asked if anyone was hiding a dragon? This is exactly what I meant. Were you just going to casually mention it when we wake up to find the the host of Darkhold on our doorstep?" she asks acidly. "I'm assuming that they are looking for you rather than your having been captured twice being pure coincidence?"
Sasha raises one eyebrow at Ari's outburst, watching Kiley for her response. As she waits she looks at Pheliks and mutters, "Lots of ways this could go bad..."
The rest of the night passes without incident luckily, beyond Kiley's revelation of ancestry and danger. A quick breakfast of somewhat hardened rolls indicates Lysandra is nervous and wants to get to the Glade as soon as possible.
"We should reach the Glade before sunset, if we hurry." she says, clearly disturbed by both the dream and a lack of sleep.
Most of the day is as uneventful as one could hope for, but as it gets closer to noon you encounter quite the peculiar scene. What appears to be a small human is soon revealed to be a halfling in actuality: and he is lost. A pair of goblins lie dead in the road under a bush, and the halfling isn't giving them any of his attention.
"Maybe...no, not that way." he says, taking a few steps while looking at a piece of paper in his hand that looks suspiciously like a hand-drawn map.
Rutilux huffs as his penetrating storm gray eyes stare at the hand drawn map. It might be upside down... no probably not. Maybe? "Maybe...no, not that way." he says, as he takes a few steps, wearing open sandals that expose almost all of his hairy feet. His colorful clothes have signs of having pushed through some underbrush and there is a leaf in the dark hair on his head. "Should have gone to Quintella, but nooo... last time I undersell her skill's value. Selune forgive me for being cheeky to her."
Finally he DOES look at the goblins, "I'm going to blame you two for my getting lost by the by. Attacking innocent hin business men, that's restraint of trade, that's what that is."
He does not seem to notice that he is no longer the only LIVING person in ear shot.
Someone clears his throat. When the halfling looks up, he sees a disparate group of… travelers. The largest is a seven foot gnoll with red eyes and black muzzle wearing – of all things – some sort of tan robes and a black and white checkered scarf wrapped around his head and neck. He looks neutrally at the halfling, then says conversationally, ”Do you need help, sayyid?”
Someone clears his throat. When the halfling looks up, he sees a disparate group of… travelers. The largest is a seven foot gnoll with red eyes and black muzzle wearing – of all things – some sort of tan robes and a black and white checkered scarf wrapped around his head and neck. He looks neutrally at the halfling, then says conversationally, ”Do you need help, sayyid?”
The halfling does indeed look up, Hin are used to that, most folks being taller than them. But then, he keeps looking up, and up, until his eyes finally get to Shaggar's muzzled mug, "Sweet Selune, is that a ..." but he stops himself from finishing whatever else he was saying, clears his throat and says "Gods smile on you, big fellow. I might at that. I seem to have let my curiosity and desire to help get ahead of common sense. This map is just... well, worthless. I should have waited to get a proper Freewind approved map but no, just had to see what was what with rumors of Our Lady of Silver's church asking for help and all. So like a cloud head, I just ran off with what I thought would do. I'll find them, mark me, soon as I figure out where I am."
Realizing he hasn't made proper introduction, he weaves words onward and forward, "Name's Rutilux Freewind, of the Freewind Hin Caravan, if you've brought Freewind goods, you've bought quality." He says the last bit habitually, then sighs with a chuckle "Pardon, hard to lose the family slogan even when I'm not merchanting and all. Been saying it since I was a child. I think I was on the right path, but these two..." He jerks a thumb to the dead goblins , one of the corpses seems to have died clutching at his ears, "..tried to waylay me. I don't much cotton to waylayers. Dishonest trade that. Once I can figure out which direction is what, I'm almost sure I'll find the folks I'm looking for. Though I don't know much OF them to be fair beyond them working for the Silver Maiden."
His voice and cadence is warm, friendly, quick and snappy, akin to what one might hear from a Vendor at Bazaar who wants to get his pitch out clear but fast to a potential customer.
The gnoll blinks at the waterfall of words. ”I have no Freewind goods… and I am Shaggar of the Bedine. I do not understand. Are you looking for a place or people? I think you have said both. If so, which place or people?”
The gnoll blinks at the waterfall of words. ”I have no Freewind goods… and I am Shaggar of the Bedine. I do not understand. Are you looking for a place or people? I think you have said both. If so, which place or people?”
Rutilux actually looks sheepish, "People first. I'm looking for.. guess you'd call them an adventuring company, ones in service to the temple of Selune in Baldur's Gate? I was hoping to join them. See, normally I'm a merchant, a 'green grocer' in adventurer terms I suppose. Well, in addition to the Halfling gods, my family is pretty devout to Selene, she's a guide after all. So... this seemed like a good way to open a few doors. I break out of the same old same old, AND join a good cause."
Kiley shrinks back from Ari'a outburst and takes a long moment to reply as she hides her ears and tail again.
"I dunno. Maybe? My parents saved me from them the first time, and the damned bastards came after them to get revenge years later. They didn't kill me because they thought I was worth more alive than dead after they saw that I wasn't human." she shudders as she remembers the leering looks they'd given her. "I thought as long as no one noticed I wasn't human, I could hide. No reason to worry everyone if they can't even find me."
The next morning, Kiley is quiet as they head out. Even her normal banter with Shaggar is notable in its absence. She keeps close to the kindly gnoll and away from Ari.
The appearance of Rutilux, however, draws her from her somber mood for a bit at least.
"Hello, Rutilux Freewind," she says. "I'm Kiley, a friend of Shaggar's. I believe we may be the company you seek."
She's a short, young woman, a few inches shy of five feet tall, with jewel-tone blue eyes and auburn hair contrasting with her fair skin. The bridge of her nose and her cheeks are dusted with freckles which make her seem even younger. Her clothing is an odd mishmash of styles and sizes, most large on her small frame. She wears a green and white keffiyeh and a matching green bisht over rugged and patched clothing that looks to have seen better days.
The appearance of Rutilux, however, draws her from her somber mood for a bit at least.
"Hello, Rutilux Freewind," she says. "I'm Kiley, a friend of Shaggar's. I believe we may be the company you seek."
At the news he's found the right people, and noting that others are with the huge hulking Shaggar and THEY, at least, appear undevoured, Rutilux breaks into a relieved smile, "You are? Well, sometimes fortune gives a fellow a bargain for good behavior it seems. Well met, Kiley. Didn't see you for a moment behind Shaggar. I'm a Sorcerer of no small water, as they say in the southern lands and I'd like a chance to join you folk. Let me know what I can do to prove my bonefides if need be."
Shaggar's gaze never falters, looking for more confirmation, ”Name the person who sent you.”
"Well, I sent me actually, though when I heard rumors I did seek out the church for guidance... thought I was supposed to talkk to a priestess who was in charge of sending folks out, but that part of the rumor was wrong. I actually spoke to an older fellow, a Brother Brightmoon? Family has sold incense there before, or ingredients for the same but I can't say I know him well. Seemed like a sweet tempered gent to me. But I..." he blushes "Once he gave me the basics I rushed out with his hasty blessing."
Sasha let's Kiley and Ari finish their...conversation...the previous night, listening but not volunteering anything more. In the darkness it is hard to see her face, but she seems sympathetically sad at the argument happening between such good friends.
Upon discovering Rutilux Sasha whistles for Pheliks and approaches the halfling man with a smile. "I'm Sasha, and neither Shagger nor my friend Pheliks - the tiger coming out of the woods right now - will hurt you. Shagger is a fierce ally to have and Pheliks has been my companion for a long time. Welcome!" she says with a smile from underneath her heavy hooded cloak.
At the whistle, Rutilux turns to greet Sasha, and then his eyes widen at the word 'Tiger'.
"Gods smile on you, Sasha, and I confess, I'm grateful for the reassurance." The halfling admits, "No disrespect to any of you, but I admit, this isn't what I was expecting. In the stories it's all shining knights, wizardesses who wear too little in cold climes and don't seem to mind, that sort of thing." he chuckles "Though as I'm a sorcerer, I'm rather glad to offer up my own magics."
”Well, I sent me actually, though when I heard rumors…”
As the halfling dissembles and seemingly stalls… Shaggar cocks his dog-like head to one side and his hand grips the over-sized headsman’s axe more decisively, ready to wield it.
”… spoke to an older fellow, a Brother Brightmoon?”
The gnoll chuffs and his grip loosens, feeling somewhat more confident the halfling is who he says he is… enough to play a bit. ”It seems the good brother did not give you our secret phrase then?”
“…neither Shagger nor my friend… will hurt you.”
Shaggar’s ears perk and his look at Sasha is quizzical. His follow up glance to the halfling says, No, I’m definitely willing to hurt people.
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The gnoll chuffs and his grip loosens, feeling somewhat more confident the halfling is who he says he is… enough to play a bit. ”It seems the good brother did not give you our secret phrase then?”
The halfling notices the weapon, and the shift of the hands/paws on it, and then... he's asked for some pass word?
"Is the secret phrase.. Palun ärge lööge mind oma kirvega?"
There is a hopeful tone to the delivery.
The gnoll considers Rutilex’s answer, carefully. ”No… that isn’t Midani. The phrase is haleeb al'iibil almukhmir.” He continues, ”It means we are blessed by moonlight.”
Gnoll expressions can be hard to read it appears, at least for Rutliux?
"haleeb al'iibil almukhmir? Not sure I'll be able to pronounce it right, but fine and dandy. Pretty sentiment though." Ahem, he clears his throat and tries once more, "haleeb al'iibil almukhmir.” Then nods pretty sure he got it that time.
Sasha tries to hide her smirk of amusement as Shagger and Rutilux converse. She idly pets Pheliks as she watches, but says nothing (audible) from underneath her hood.
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Ari’s reply to Kiley’s confession is more considered than her previous outburst. ”Hiding a thing gives it value by the very act of cloaking,” she says, repeating a basic litany of the Leiran church. Not that she can’t really fault the woman’s actions in the circumstances either. There is a long tense pause before she huffs, ”Get some rest. I’m not sleeping any time soon so may as well take watch.” With that she stalks off to the edge of the camp.
Away from the others, she makes a careful inspection of her surroundings before taking a seat on a large log. Ari does a quick check that she has all of her daggers on her before pulling her cloak tight around herself, trying to ward off the night’s chill.
It’s not that she’s really mad at Kiley - ok, she is, though on some level Ari knows that her reaction wasn’t entirely rational. From a point of view of dogma, what she did is perfectly in line with Leira’s teachings. And regardless, if you put a knife to her throat, she couldn’t in all honesty say that she would have behaved any differently in the other woman’s shoes. Would indeed jump at the chance to be able to blend in so easily. Why, then, did she react the way she did?
Partly she does feel that her concern is valid. Travelling with a wanted woman does alter the dynamics of her situation and not in a way Ari likes. Still, she acknowledges that she probably could have handled it better.
A gust of wind interrupts the still night and Ari hunches down deeper within her hood, cutting a lonely figure. She scans all around her for any sign of life or movement but all is calm once more.
Somewhat grudgingly she admits to herself that Kiley’s words scared her. The idea of being pursued is one that she had left behind. Paranoid as she is, it had taken a long time to convince herself that the church of Cyric was not out looking for her. Logically it made sense - she’s not special, why waste time and resources chasing after an escapee when they could simply find some other poor soul and force them to take her place? She runs her fingers over the brand on the back of her hand, the symbol of the Dark Sun and a symbol of her status of servitude. It has faded over time and Ari does her best to conceal it - make up, gloves, disguising it as a tattoo - but it is still there, a reminder of a past that she had otherwise long ago left behind.
The difference in her situation and Kiley’s is that apparently she is special. Or at least the Zhents seem to think so. Ari thinks about what it must be like to constantly live in fear, to be in hiding and ever-wary - something that requires not so much a leap of imagination as a tiny sidestep. Still, she realises that she feels sorry for the other tiefling.
The other tiefling. It’s a strange thought. The two women both have some kind of infernal blood in their bodies but they look completely different. For a start, Kiley can fairly easily pass as human in a way Ari can’t. Of course she had known that Kiley wasn’t human since the first day. Her disguise is good and the vast majority of people wouldn’t see her as anything out of the ordinary. It was probably just Beshaba smiling down mischievously on her that she happened to meet someone else equally adept at hiding a tail. She hadn’t been sure until tonight exactly what Kiley was though. Experience and prudence - not to mention more than a little prejudice thrown in her direction - taught Ari very early that what someone is like is far more important than their appearance, title or any other outward trappings. She can only remember meeting one other tiefling, who looked totally different again, though she is reevaluating this in light of what she now knows. It seems likely that she may have met others who were fortunate in being able to more easily hide their fiendish heritage.
Probing at the matter, Ari realises that it’s this which has really got under her skin. She has never given much thought to her heritage. She doesn’t know who her parents were and doesn’t much care. Even if she were inclined to pursue a fool’s errand, where would she even begin to start across the whole of Faerûn? They could be from anywhere. They could be dead by now. They may well have taken one look at their blue-skinned, obviously evil-tainted daughter and left her for dead. No, she realised long ago that she would never get any answers and made her peace with it.
That’s not to say she didn’t try and understand more about what she is. She was different, obviously, and endured “demon-spawn” and “devil-kin” and worse when she was growing up. She didn’t hear the word tiefling until after she was out of the Tower of the Eternal Eclipse. Carrying out research - surreptitiously, as she recognised it might not be a smart idea to ask loud questions about her heritage - she learned that she has some kind of infernal taint in her bloodline, though with no easy way to tell what kind. Mutations can lay dormant for years so it could be generations ago or it could be more recent. But as she understands things, neither of her parents is a fiend as she would be something else, something considerably worse.
It had not occurred to her until Kiley mentioned demon cults that her progenitor may be looking for her. Again, given it could be decades back and her family tree could have veered off in directions that make it hard to trace, not to mention the fact that she was orphaned and it was unlikely anybody would be pressing a claim on Ari as their child. But still, the whole idea has sent a chill right through her very being.
The rest of the night passes uneventfully at least but, lonely, cold, and lost inside her own head, Ari does not manage much, if anything, in the way of rest.
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"haleeb al'iibil almukhmir? Not sure I'll be able to pronounce it right, but fine and dandy. Pretty sentiment though." Ahem, he clears his throat and tries once more, "haleeb al'iibil almukhmir.” Then nods pretty sure he got it that time.
The gnoll nods encouragingly. "Your pronunciation is quite good."
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Although she is young and energetic, this morning Ari feels anything but. Late nights and even all-nighters are nothing new, but usually they involve a lot more revelry and pleasures of various sorts rather than getting lost inside her thoughts and fears. During happier occasions she can usually sleep off the worst after-effects. There are no such luxuries right now. She keeps her hood down, partly to hide her tired features, partly to signal that she’s not really in the mood for conversation. She breaks her fast quietly, trying to rid herself of the black cloud that has been following her around since last night.
Kiley seems to be avoiding her, sticking close to Shaggar. Ari doesn’t blame her, but neither does it do much to lighten her mood. The closeness of the two friends’ relationship is another point of contrast to her own situation, especially with Lisyil announcing her departure. It’s not that the two of them had been bosom companions, but she had enjoyed the half-elf’s company and it felt like there was a foundation there to build on, had Ari been able to summon up the courage to do something about it. She doesn’t blame Lisyil for deciding to turn back. The mass dream last night was apparently too much, a realisation that whatever it is they are involved with here is both serious and dangerous. Maybe she’s the smart one. Still, another missed opportunity. Another waste of time. For all that she can be introspective, Ari isn’t usually prone to self-pity. This morning, however, she can’t seem to shake it, the dark mood clinging worse than a hangover. Too far away to hear the words, she sees Shaggar make a comment and Kiley’s face light up briefly in response. To the tiefling it feels very much like a fresh bruise that has just been punched.
When they encounter the halfling and the pair of goblins he has felled, she simply gives her name by way of introduction and leaves it at that. Ordinarily she would enjoy a spot of verbal sparring with the verbose hin but she can’t summon up the energy right now. And you might need that, and more, later, a doom-laden voice in her head tells her.
At lunch she seeks out Kiley, holding her palms out in placation at the wary look on her face. ”Sorry,” she mutters. It’s not a great apology as they go, but right now it’s as much as she can manage through the murk in her head so it will have to suffice. Job done, she again removes herself from the main group and picks at her food.
The gnoll nods encouragingly. "Your pronunciation is quite good."
"Kind of you to say, but more luck and a merchant family training than anything else. haleeb al'iibil almukhmir, MUST remember that."
When they encounter the halfling and the pair of goblins he has felled, she simply gives her name by way of introduction and leaves it at that. Ordinarily she would enjoy a spot of verbal sparring with the verbose hin but she can’t summon up the energy right now. And you might need that, and more, later, a doom-laden voice in her head tells her.
Rutilux notes the Tiefling seems a bit shy, and respects her space for now, "Well met." He tells her, and leaves it at that.
He does suggest to the group "Well, if I pass muster, please lead on. I'll do my fair share of the work , you'll see."
"Right. We're going in this direction." The ranger continues on towards the village.