[Closed Roleplay] Caravan to Avermore
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Glim stiffens at the sound of the explosions, before seeing the varied colours painting the sky. 'Night dyes' He thinks gleefully to himself.
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"That mage just lit us up to everything within mile," Ixuo says to Glim.
The beast-kin are in formation around the perimeter of the caravan. Irumac approaches, his hair is greasy and matted, his clothes well-worn and he is clutching a tattered map.
"Beastman," says the guide pointedly to Glim. "I seek your opinion. We will be approaching the mountains in a few days time and there a number of routes to consider. The high pass will allow us to pass through in a matter of days, but is extremely treacherous. The low pass however is populated by the Erzumak tribe of goblins. How would you like to proceed?"
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"We cannot take so many people through Clement's stairs, the high pass is too dangerous. We'll have to risk it with the goblins, our sheer number of people should throw them off.
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Mimi startled as she felt someone touch her arm
"Need anything for the road?" asked a middling merchant woman, gesturing to her wagon loaded up with food, wine, and all manner of items, "You're doing us a favor helping with the escort so I'll give you a good price."
Mimi shook her head, "I think I'll be ok." then remembered how cold it had been the previous night "Actually if you have a warm coat I'd be happy to trade, nothing too fancy. Maybe you've something with a little wear on it?"
"Nonsense" scoffed the merchant eyeing Mimi critically before pulling out a thick woolen long coat in a striking shade of green, "This would suit nicely." and after a pause, "You don't look like you've been far from home long. I don't suppose you brought anything with you? Supplies from Arboreus are expensive to ship."
Mimi checked the pouch at her waist and pulled out a few bulbs she had collected and had been intending to plant, "These are from the Sun Lilly plant that grows around my home, the bulb can be crushed and used to craft healthful tonics, or you can plant it and wait for the flowers which are used in a sweet liquor."
The merchant gave Mimi a smile and handed her the cloak, taking the bulbs in her other hand. "Thank you little one. My name's Pharla. Call out if you or your party need anything else." and with a cheerful wave she moved onto the next wagon.
Mimi ran her fingers over her new cloak feeling the dense woolen layers and smiled, a much nicer coat than I should have been able to trade for.
"Have you brought much else from home Telwath? When were you there last?" Mimi asked, turning to her new friend.
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Telwath smiles, nodding lightly to Mimi. "Not too long a time, but, it does feel like longer. I always miss home when I'm away." He runs a hand through his mane. "Not that I dislike traveling, but, home is always home. And, I've mostly bought myself, and a few useful herbs and potions. Maybe I'll trade myself if it gets too cold in the mountains." He cants his head. "And yourself? How long since you've felt the soil under your paws?"
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“We will have to take care if we are to travel through goblin territory,” Irumac says to Glim, "but I agree. I will let the caravan master know of your recommendation.”
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"You mean hooves?" Mimi asked cheekily and smiled, "Only a few weeks. This is all very new to me."
((OOC - Malyvern is posting a new event soon so I'll save the rest of the conversation for after that))
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(Posting via my mobile, I will fix any formatting errors)
The caravan has travelled for a day and finally darkness has washed over the travelers. It will soon be time for them to make camp for the first time. The caravan’s master Seryn searches the starless night sky for clues to their whereabouts as the wagon skirt through a winding road. They have taken a detour to avoid the forest that claimed the previous escort company. Seryn has only a lantern to illuminate the way forward and she requests Ixuo to sound his horn to signal for the travelers to stop and rest.
“Ouweayoo!” Seryn calls out and the caravan rolls to a stop. They find themselves in a luscious plot of grass enclosed by flourishing hedges and flower bushes. Further inspection with lit torches reveals a fountain which stands near the back of the garden. The rows of flowers are in need of some care and love, but look great nonetheless; they're like a cloud of color. A path of stone twists around the garden. Vines and roots slightly disrupt the pristine look as they hungrily search for even more pieces of land to expand to.
It appears abandoned, yet is in remarkably well kept condition. There are strange statues of humans with unnatural postures dotted around. They look afraid. A few of the travelers remark that they feel strange upon arriving and otherworldly sounds pierce through the dark. Still, this seems like a safe place to park the caravan for the night and a fire pit is lit. Travelers revel in the opportunity to rest.
Jaso, a pilgrim who had joined the caravan at Kuasrine, brandishes a flute and begins to play a tune. Ixuo looks uncomfortable, but finds himself drawn to the fire and busies himself with keeping it lit. Pharud the cook presents various meats to cook on the open fire while Malyvern presents one of his crates with a jingle of bottles for everyone to enjoy. There are whispers in the wind as the night draws in.
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I don't like this place, Mimi thinks to herself it may be abandoned but there has been a lot of death here. Looking around the clearing she decides to get a closer look at some of the off statues.
"These were humans!" she gasps to Telwath who had followed her over, "They look as though they died terrified and in pain." Mimi reached out to touch the stone cheek of a young girl no older than she was, it felt cold and soulless. "What is this place?"
Despite the cheery music and the smell of dinner cooking on the fire Mimi is restless and fidgety. Seeing Ixuo felt the same she walked over to him noting the fine fur on his forearms was standing on end. "You feel it too?" she asked him, and Ixuo nodded stiffly in response, a worried look in his eyes as he tended the fire.
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“I feel a chill in my bones, young one,” Ixuo says to Mimi. “This place is cursed.”
A cold wind passes through and the fire erupts in a bright green flash. Embers crackle around the pit and the flame dances brightly in the dark. Insects crackle and birds coo, but Jaso’s tune is comforting. Through the canopy of trees, the moon is full and bright, the air thick with the smell of woodland and burning logs. Ixuo’s eyes water as the smoke from the fire pit glides towards him.
Ixuo glances at the statues. From the corner of his eye, he's sure one of them moved.
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Telwath flicks a grin art Mimi, nodding. "I was sent, asked, to learn more about events on this world. I wasn't expecting to find so many kin, but, curiousty's a powerful thing. And it's refreshing."
He becomes more sombre as the caravan settles and Mimi inspects one of the statues, his eyes going to Ixuo. A pause, then he shifts his gaze to the shadows around the camp fire. "I agree.." He murmurs to her and Ixuo. "It's beautiful and alluring, but, the scent in the air, the soul of this place.." He produces a few tangled knots of wood from his satchel, green light flickering through his fingers. "Help me place these in a circle around the campfire?" He asks the other two. "It might offer a limited ward against whatever's lurking here."
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The tangle of wood feels heavy in Ixuo’s paw. Arborean energy flows through it. The Chadra nods respectfully towards the Udoadra herbalist
Shielding his eyes from the smoke, Ixuo places the wood by the side of the fire and waits for the others to do the same. The embers begin to settle and the flame appears to take on a purple hue.
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Cronykil stood sketching near one of the statues. He couldn't help but overhear the conversation his companions were having and they were right, this place reeked of fear and darkness. He shuddered slightly and clutched the charcoal that little bit tighter, creating dark lines on his parchment. It wasn't his finest work and he was rushing it, desiring nothing more than to leave this place. The statues unnerved him although he couldn't say why.
"What is it with these statues?" He asked, turning back to the firelight and his friends.
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Being also unnerved by the statutes upon their arrival, Glim feels scared and stiffens up, but then immediately calms and relaxes.
'I can't be scared, if I'm scared they'll be scared' He thinks to himself
Putting a forced smile on his face he saunters over to the closest statue, a tall, strong looking man with a look more of determination than fear on his face. Glimheim takes his shield from his back, and places the strap over the shoulder of the statue.
"Alright everyone, we need to set up a perimeter. Although.." He glances to Telwath and grins. "We need not be so tense, seeing as our friend has placed wards around our camp."
He claps his paws and wipes them together to clear the dirt and dust from them, sitting down near the fire.
'But near enough to grab my shield if it goes awry.'
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Glim begins to warm his hands by the fire, carefully observing his surroundings and sitting away from the wind so he can still smell if something is coming.
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Deciding that her hunger was a more urgent need than the discomfort from the statues, Mimi sits down next to Glim, accepting a bowl of stew from the caravans cook, Phroud. It is filled with chunks of a native root vegetable and the broth is warm and salty, "Thank you." she said to the cook, "It smells delicious."
Phroud smiled and gave her a wink before continuing with his stew pot to the rest of the group.
The cheery noises of a large group of people settling in for the night took over most of the ominous sounds in the nearby forest. Howling wind and the snapping of branches was replaced with the homey sound of familiar bickering and an enthusiastic lute player, taking requests for songs from a few rowdy young men already deep in their ale cups.
Looking around at the Rhila Trading Company, Mimi smiled a small smile reminded a little of home. This is really just one big family. They don't look it during day but I can see it now.
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Yeet. rip this thread.
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@whoatethecat Sadly, all the others are gone
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@esher It's really upsetting. I was having so much fun.
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Hi all,
Would people like to see this revived/restarted? I had to take care of a few things in life and sadly just couldn't keep up with the workload. Things are a bit quieter now though, what do you all think?
