Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

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Copper Dragon
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Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby Copper Dragon » Sat Sep 03, 2016 12:09 pm

Image

Cold and barren as the summer was, the wilder places of the Easting Reach knew some reprieve. Some life, some joy. People in the cities and villages would not hear of it, unfortunately, but the hermits and wanderers of the wilds, and most importantly its guardians, might know word to spread among them.

The daughters and sons of nature were venerated in a woodland glade, some nights past, at an old man's behest. What transpired there you cannot trace back by visiting the site; if the elm trees did dance it was surely mystic talk or herb-induced fantasies. Instead, near the grove, trackers who stumble this way would note a dozen men and women lying underneath a thin crust of snow - brigands judging by their equipment, and defeated in battle judging by their wounds of arrows and blade.

Tracks of anything else would be long gone. But the people who had been there - oh, they carry knowledge of these woodland events with them, secrets -- and questions. Will they seek answers? Will they make a path?

There is a hint of a man who had urged the brigands to come here; there is an old man who walks with a survivor; there is a girl led by a ranger; and there are faces in the shadows of the elms. If any of the woodland protectors that had been there during the Elms' Dance would wish it, they could look into these leads. And they could - if they so wished - return to this grove, to the revelries that were interrupted. Perhaps they would yet be greeted by familiar figures.

OOC: PCs who wish to follow up on the events of The Elms' Dance can post here. If you were not present but your character is curious, they could investigate the brigands' remains in the grove. If your PC was present and is interested in revisiting the woodland grove's residents, this is their window of opportunity. If your PC was present and would investigate the NPCs that had been there or were spoken of, feel free to do it here. Reactions to the event itself - post them away! :)
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)

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ljuslek
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby ljuslek » Sun Sep 04, 2016 11:22 am

//This is a placeholder post that will soon expound upon Aleira's thoughts and actions in the wake of the event :)

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Danuvis
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby Danuvis » Sun Sep 11, 2016 12:52 pm

The elusive and reclusive woodsman, Garvin, had little to contribute to the passing of judgement when it had all taken place. Though he harboured a firm opinion of his own, he kept it to himself in the wake of the bloodshed and dutifully remained in silent vigil over the grove. He and Nanuq bled for its residents, nearly lost their lives, in fact, but it was his sacred duty to do so; a duty that needed no gratitude, a duty that earned him no right to interfere in matters that did not truly concern him.

It was the right of the fey to decide the fate of the lone survivor, and theirs alone, he thought, no matter the wisdom evident in the words of some, and still he had not voiced his opinion. It was not his place.

The reek of blood was still fresh in the grove, the suffering of both fey and men tangible.

Garvin crouched amidst the many corpses of the brigands, one by one stripping them of the bent and bloodied armour that clung to each, along with carrying all weaponry far away from the wilds, only to discard the battered steel by Outentown's outlying farmsteads, a strenuous task that would take him the entirety of the night - all in favour of nature's growth and well-being.

The slain men and women themselves, however, he offered no such kindness, leaving them behind to be claimed by the woods that they had so readily brought suffering to. They would become one with the very earth and trees that they had seen bleed, aiding in their mending - a fate Garvin thought most befitting. Just.

He saw desperation in their eyes, but he felt no sympathy for any of them. He thought them weak. Damara had suffered worse, and yet his kinsmen persevered and chose the right path; resilient and unbroken.

Pride swelled in his mind, urging him on despite every part of him aching. The deep greens of the forest and the blindingly white snow had begun to hurt his eyes, and the crisp air felt like an icy sigh on the back of his neck. It seeped through his furs and skin, gumming up his joints, but the woodsman did not give in to exhaustion.

In the meantime, Nanuq, malnourished and weak from the harsh winter, eagerly sunk its jagged teeth into the arm of a woman that lied on her side, her limp form knocked prone and soon torn grotesquely apart by the bear's attempts at sating its hunger. The woodsman seemed not bothered, and even if he were, he would have made no attempt to stop his companion and friend. They had both fought, after all, and the right to her prey was not his to take away. She would feast well this night, he realised, unlike himself. There was much to do.

When he was at long last finished with his present duty, it was immediately replaced by another. Bent on pursuing the lead of the man that had guided the brigands to the grove, he began a long trek throughout the wilds, following the fading tracks of the brigands. Perhaps it was now too late for the trail to lead him where he wished. Even so, he was oathbound to try.

He could already feel the early morning hours slipping away like water in his hand, and with each passing moment, he grew wearier and wearier. Would his search prove to be in vain, or was he meant to find something else instead? Would the fey show themselves again if he was to return empty-handed to the grove? Time would tell.

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Copper Dragon
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby Copper Dragon » Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:28 pm

Hours upon hours pass - they move painfully slowly in the cold and yet the morning finds Garvin Culdrake earlier than one might expect. The youthful, thin bear that he knew as a friend could indeed feast well; carrion could not be more delicious than when fresh and the blood still held warmth. Nanuq could be no tracker, though, and seemed not intent on assisting Garvin in his self-appointed task - nay: his duty - to find traces of the hirelings. It was Garvin's footsteps alone that crunched in the virgin snows.

And virgin snows they were, for the knaves' tracks were slowly but surely swallowed in the eve. He could find their campsite and could resupply with some of their left-behind stock, but save for a lone horse, nothing here would prove to be of interest. Or could it?

If he invested sufficient time in searching the bedrolls, tents and the occasional left-behind backpack, he would come across the bedroll that might have belonged to the witch - that is, the bitch of a woman who wielded savage magic in the company of the brigands. The bedroll knew beautiful broidery mixed with ugly, mad-looking ink patterns as if it had been used as canvas or an alien diary; inside the bedroll lay some jewelry (gaudy and kitsch) and more importantly, a few pieces of parchment.

These were crumpled and must have been re-opened a thousand times. The texts on them were written in Common...
My darling Neferia,

How dare you torture me so? Only a lover's absence can be more cruel than her fiery touch. My father's ruthlessness could never truly tame you, and that is why ~ you know this ~ I have always seen in you more than a mere slave. I have set you free at great risk, but also with great hope, a burning, visceral, sensual hope that I would find you someday soon after. And I have.

But next time, I will not slide a letter under your mug at this pigsty they dub tavern. Next time, we will speak as strangers, as employer and employee, and you will repay me for your freedom. A simple task, and one that I can pay for handsomely to your gooneys ~ for, yes, I know you have acquired quite some friends in these dark times. Killing suits you so well, my darling Neferia... almost as much as fucking.

We will meet on Eleasias 21st. Same place.
Beyond the written word, though, there seem to be no tracks to follow out here in the wilderness. Is there more to be found in the territory of humans? Taverns; roads; a city? Could in the meantime Aleira Nemesk find more, or any of the others who merely returned to civilization and kept an ear open?

The pink and purple sky stares back at Garvin Culdrake; dusk soon approaches after a harsh cold day of investigation.
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)

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ljuslek
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby ljuslek » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:05 pm

The ranger Aleira Nemesk seeks whom she had begun to call her mentor, old man Yaromir. The two of them have much to speak of. Yet matters close to her heart and soul; the ranger keeps to herself. She favours matters more practical, like discussing the letter Garvin had found, the one that spoke so plainly yet so cryptically of a meeting that was to take place. Perhaps the brigand Yaromir had taken under his charge, had begun to more or less forcefully teach the way of Silvanus and his land would know more? If he did not and even if he did.... Aleira draws a piece of charcoal over the parchment, several times. In the hopes that trick that might reveal the imprints of another message or entry from the journal or binder the scrap parchment had had once belonged to.

Further, Aleira explains her intent to conscript others to keep watchful eyes over Sarshel's streets and taverns. She herself has burned whatever bridges that might've carried her towards the road of subterfuge. But others? They might look for the men behind this violence better. Find the men who had turned common folk into bandits and killers with the promise of a handful of paltry coppers-.... Those men would know the vengeance of the land, in whatever shape it would come to take.

EppyAl
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby EppyAl » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:19 pm

Through talk on the roads, Amber would learn of the requests to assist and watch for things not of thr norm. He would ask the keepers of the taverns if they could pass on what ever words the lady would care to share regarding the happenings.

One would assume Amber could ask her directly... Though for some odd reason he kept far enough away from the woman... beck neck and with the knowledge of where she was when he was provided, even the town she resided in... for now as he enjoyed keeping his head.

Amber and Zhaneel would continue on their daily tasks with eyes, ears, and even nose ready for the oddities of man.

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Copper Dragon
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby Copper Dragon » Fri Sep 23, 2016 6:24 pm

Aleira's search leads her to the sleepy foothills; through snow-laden hills and small dead groves and rocky, slippery, treachorous terrain. It is found not because of familiarity with the place; but rather Aleira's woodland experience and good sense for fitting hiding places. A day's walk, that is what it took to get here. 'Here' being home to a humble hut from whose chimney a thin trail of smoke rose.

An owl hoots nearby and swoops past Aleira - brushing a few feet close - and straight into the opened window of the hut.

____________________________


Amberdrake's watch on the peripheries of mankind may not prove so fruitful - after all, the land belongs to the land, and perhaps to elven wanderers at best; not to humanity.

But one evening, on one of those evenings that Amberdrake would likely opt to take rest in the wilderness rather than in the warmth of human inns and taverns, it is a curious sight indeed that catches his attention. A lantern-bearer approaches, and curiously, even should the elven Forestarm be concealed (and surely adept at concealing himself within nature's bounds after eveningfall), the figure with the light comes towards him...

OOC: Sending PMs to both players regarding their availability to follow this up in game.
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)

Ostheim
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby Ostheim » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:43 pm

Never a stranger to the classier places in the city, Knight Marrinson of Sune was nothing if not a frequent guest at the Sailor's Star inn and tavern, typically attending social gatherings there and imparting quiet, if not terribly enthused advice about the love lives of those who ask. Prospective suitors are common, but entirely spurned in favor of a somewhat more aloof strategy of light commentary and bland smiles; she gives off the aura of a woman uninterested in anything but helping others and advising them when need be, but is fairly reclusive about her personal affairs. Never mind letting others in.

Privately though, her appearances there are for a very particular reason. Specifically, she looks out for those wearing red hoods or sashes, usually stopping to look up at those who enter and quickly looking away again. Those who do appear matching that description, she graces them with an aloof smile, followed by a particularly keen study of their features and appearance. By mundane standards, it would appear as if she was simply appraising their looks, as any Sunite would.

Which was true, if one knew that Lady Firehair's own sight was aiding Rannie's. She sought to find the taint of their souls, if it existed, and note them if it did.
Wynna Blackwing - Scholar of history, ruin delver, intrigue dabbler
Rannie Marrinson - Knight-Errant, Paladin of Sune
Teobald Grzywacz - Outentown peasant, ranger and adventurer

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Copper Dragon
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Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby Copper Dragon » Sun Sep 25, 2016 1:31 pm

The comely paladin Rannie Marrinson is recognised and smiled upon in the Sailor's Star inn; good taste has never gone unappreciated here. From time to time, some hopeful patrons consider offering her a drink and a few tentative questions, but most Impilturans are still prudent, reserved, and Rannie will not find herself disturbed when not wishing to. Her patience and alertness, however, do not seem to be rewarded... no men with red concealing garments show. Did she come at the wrong time? Too late? Too soon?

Two Rangers, Garvin Culdrake and Aleira Nemesk, have set out on their missive to find some old man's home, down, down south. When - or if - they return, their gaze might tell Rannie enough all that she needs to know...
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)

EppyAl
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2016 12:58 am

Re: Easting Wilds - In the Shadow of Elms

Postby EppyAl » Sun Sep 25, 2016 1:42 pm

Amber had no fear when within the embrace of the lady of the wood. Before the fire pit he and Zhaneel would sit. Amber enjoying some dried pears and Zhaneel Handle a fresh bundle of rats from the mines.

The light would approach with careful elven eyes monitoring. His blade lay next to him, though Zhaneel's maw would be far faster if the lantern hosted danger.

Waiting was something his race was exceptional at, and he would do so calmly .


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