Fantasy Poisoned Land - [ Zazz & Phoenix ]

[Zazz]

All three Duindôrin stopped to gape at Veyen.

"Surely there are humans in the south," Haethryl scoffed, eyes darting to Azaria questioningly. He found only confusion in her expression.

"What of the other clans?" Azaria can to sit by the two young ones, keeping an eye on Sylven and Tethran. "No one ever comes to us; we haven't had news from the south in... Actually, I'm not sure."

"Centuries," said Brandyl. "I overheard the council talking. You know, before we left. I-I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear," he added quickly when Azaria raised an eyebrow at him. "They, uh.. seemed hopeful. Distrustful, but hopeful. That our people might be reunited."

Tethran returned, then, and apologized. Haethryl gave a grunt, turning his gaze away. Azaria gave him a pointed look, to which he raised his hands and sighed. The large elven man gave Tethran a nod and a huff.

Azaria looked up at Sylven and patted the grass next to her, tearing into some dried meat. "Seems you aren't the only one with diplomacy on your mind, princess."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen tilted his head, his brows knitting together in confusion at the surprised reaction he received. “Humans? In the south?” He paused. “I - I don’t think so. I’ve never seen any. The older members of my clan have traded with humans sometimes, but it hasn’t happened in my lifetime…” The young hunter tilted his head as he glanced between the three Duindôr. “Why? Is that so strange?”

He blinked at Azaria’s question. “The other clans are well. We trade with them. Clan Filae of the far southern plains has even settled down to farm! They trade their produce and jams with us in return for our sheep and unicorns.” As he spoke, Veyen’s face brightened, recalling the delicious taste of watermelons and peach jam from Filae.

It wasn’t long before Tethran returned with his clanmaid not far behind. The elder hunter did not seem pleased at Haethryl’s simple nod in return to his apology, but he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his curly hair, opting to remain silent.

Sylven looked to Azaria with a small smile. She sat next to the other woman, laying her gnarled staff across her lap, and dug into her own pouch for some dried meat. Tethran settled beside the clanmaid and ate some of his own rations.

“Tell me, Azaria, if you don’t mind…” Sylven leaned to the side, resting her weight on one arm. “Does Duindôr want to reestablish relations with other clans? What do they think of us? We have only ever heard how your clan hated the ancestors so much that they cut off any contact with the rest of the elves.” Her tone was not accusatory, merely curious, to see if all these things she had heard had any real merit.

 

[Zazz]

Haethryl was surprised. He thought humans were everywhere. "The human cities grow like untended weeds, always overflowing and sprouting more."

To Sylven, Azaria answered, gesturing towards the young alchemist, "Apparently the council might be interested in more of a relationship with the other clans. I don't know how well that would be taken by the rest; we were always told it was you who abandoned us."

She was beginning to question everything she had ever known about the southern clans. "Frankly, we could use some new allies."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen cocked his head at the comparison between humans and weeds. “I - I mean, I’ve heard there are humans much further south, and much further east, but I haven’t seen any come near our Virdan woods.” Were humans really that common? How strange he’d never seen any, then.

Sylven’s brows furrowed in confusion. “We were the ones who abandoned you? Hmm. Our clans were always told you strayed from the ancestors so far that you grew to despise us, and threatened to harm us if we approached you. So we… never did.” Who was telling the truth in this situation? The clanmaid was beginning to question their history of the Duindôr, and she wondered to herself who was right - did the other elves abandon them, or did the Duindôr want nothing to do with anyone else? History was so far distant now she didn’t know if she’d ever get an answer for that.

 

[Zazz]

Looking down at the shriveled, once succulent boar meat between her fingers, Azaria sighed. "It's... difficult, keeping track of history when no one lives long enough to remember it."

Brandyl played with the grass between his fingers. "Even what might have been written down has either been lost or destroyed. Our clan has had to rebuild our entire home countless times."

Haethryl explained, "We get our stone from our trades with the humans, but we can only bring so much at a time. A large trading party means more chances of orcs catching us on the road. So we use wood, and the orcs bring fire. Everything burns, and we build again."

"What else can we do," said the Duindôr woman, "with no connection to our people?"

 

[PhoenixMire]

“The Virdan pass our history and our stories from one generation to the next, and many of us must memorize what we’re told of our past, to tell again to the next generations.” Sylven paused to take a bite of dry meat, chewing it for quite a while before swallowing and being able to speak again. “We don’t often… write.”

“We don’t need to,” Tethran inserted. “We can remember our clan’s stories just fine.”

“Hmm.” Sylven idly traced a finger down the wood of her staff. “Sometimes I wonder if writing would help us better preserve our histories, though. In this case…I don’t think we will ever know what truly happened between our clans so long ago.”

She and Veyen listened sadly as Haethryl spoke. Tethran stared down, unseeing, at his food. “I’m… sorry,” Sylven murmured, unsure what else to say.

 

[Zazz]

The lot of them were quiet, pondering their individual questions. The air kissed their faces as a gentle breeze rolled over the hills from the east, and the trees to the west swayed their branches in a peaceful dance.

"I would like a farm," Brandyl stated, breaking the silence. "A mushroom farm."

"Of course you would."

Haethryl shushed them suddenly, listening intently. A thundering of many feet slowly grew louder. Azaria followed his gaze to the south, and quickly swatted at Brandyl to get up. Brandyl, fearing the worst, scrambled off the ground to see what was coming.

The biggest smile spread across his features. "Horses!"

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen smiled at the thought of a mushroom farm. He would like that, too. Imagining growing all kinds of things made him happy. During their stops in the plains for the summer, he often tried to grow a few things before they moved back to the woods, but it didn’t feel the same as having a real farm.

The three Virdan started when they heard thundering. Sylven’s mind briefly flashed back to the orc attack - but no, this did not sound the same. She and the two hunters stood, watching in awe as beautiful horses galloped through the long swaying grasses of the fields. It was a majestic sight. Wind tousled Sylven’s long black hair as she watched the animals with a smile.

“Now you see,” Tethran said with a grin, looking to Brandyl and Haethryl. “Horses. Our unicorns are similar - but they’re hardy beasts. Strong. Stronger than these, and with a long horn from their foreheads. They’re beautiful.” He sighed. “I only wish we could have brought some.”

 

[Zazz]

"Amazing," said the young alchemist in awe. "They're so fast... And big..." Azaria grinned at the boy and ruffled his hair.

"We should get going," she said, brushing herself off as she stood. "You can pick some dandelions on the way." She extended a hand to the clanmaid to help her up. "Lead on, princess."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran sighed wistfully as he watched the horses. It was indeed time to move on, but both he and Veyen kept their eyes trained on the galloping horses for a little longer, reluctant to leave.

Sylven smiled and flushed slightly as she took Azaria’s hand. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “We can head directly north now - the old tales place the entrance to the Dread Caverns not too far west of the human city…” She studied the silhouettes of mountains in the distance. “So the city should be further to our east, and the entrance to the caves just up north.”

Veyen shifted his weight uncomfortably. To think they were already getting this close to the Dread Caverns. The thought made not only him, but all the Virdan a little uneasy. Still - they had to press on.

 

[Zazz]

The two warriors, on the other hand, were eager to reach their destination. For glory, of course. Answers, too, but mostly glory. None of the Duindôrin had been so far north as the city before the caverns, much less the mountains.

"We should make for the city," said Haethryl, no longer bringing up the rear. "Replenish our supplies."

"Maybe a bath?" Brandyl piped in hopefully. He did, in fact, pick dandelions, every so often running to catch up.

"Definitely a bath," Azaria agreed. "We'll need it, by then."

 

[PhoenixMire]

“A bath does sound refreshing,” Sylven said with a sigh. She and the other Virdan journeyed onward, Veyen not taking his eyes off the horses as he walked. The herd stopped some distance away to graze. He was enthralled by them and their beauty, already missing the unicorns back home, just as his clanmates missed them too.

They traveled for a long while. Sylven used her staff as a walking stick to support her increasingly sore legs. Tethran seemed to be tiring a little as well - they were not unused to long travel, but not quite this much of it. It felt as though they’d been walking nonstop for days. But Veyen seemed fine. He did not falter, keeping his gaze trained sharply on their surroundings.

 

[Zazz]

Brandyl, too, kept the horses in his sights. They were so majestic and inspiring, he thought. It amazed him that such beautiful creatures could exist next to such destruction. He wanted to see more of the world, more beauty.

As the sun began to set over the trees, Bran picked less and less flowers, growing tired. His legs ached, but he didn't want to be the one that asked to stop. Thankfully, Azaria did it for him.

"Enough. We've walked far enough." She removed the armor from her torso and let it fall to the ground. "I could use more of that lemleaf paste," she admitted, checking the bruise on her abdomen. It had grown twice the size, and much darker.

 

[PhoenixMire]

All the damned walking was really getting to Sylven, but she refused to show it. So she sighed deeply in relief when Azaria said it was time to stop and rest for the night. The sun was getting lower in the horizon, after all - it wasn’t a bad idea to set up camp. They’d made good progress that day.

“I’ll take first watch this time,” Tethran volunteered.

“But you seem tired. What about me?” Veyen asked. “I’m not sleepy.”

Tethran chuckled and nudged the young hunter’s shoulder. “Nah. You’re still young, you need more rest to grow.”

Veyen smiled faintly and nodded his head. “Okay. Thanks, Tethran.” He settled on the grassy ground across from his clanmaid, who was taking a few long drinks from her waterskin with her eyes shut in contentment. She was glad to finally be resting.

 

[Zazz]

Haethryl gave Tethran a clap on his back in thanks. He set himself down in the grass and beckoned for Azaria to join him. Once Brandyl had reapplied the pain relieving paste, she removed the rest of her armor and sat in front of the other warrior. She melted under his hands as Haethryl worked her shoulders, eyes closed in bliss.

Brandyl, back in the grass, groaned in discomfort. "Everything hurrrrts."

Azaria opened her eyes and looked around at their little group. "You'll get used to it," she told Brandyl gently. She glanced over at the child, then the clanmaid. She could tell Sylven was tired. The clanmaid was growing on her; she was tougher than she appeared, and it garnered a little bit of respect from the warrior.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran rolled his eyes at the clap on the back, but there was a small smile on his face. He settled in the grass and ate some dried fruits as he kept an eye on their surroundings. “You must not walk much, do you?” he asked Brandyl, genuinely curious what the young Duindôr got up to most of the time.

Veyen unfurled his bedroll and nestled under its furs. He seemed to want to drift off, despite claiming he wasn’t tired earlier.

Sylven looked at Azaria with some concern. “Feeling any better?” she found herself asking. She took another few swigs of water before corking her waterskin and hanging it back at her belt. After a moment of relaxation she unfurled her own bedroll, but did not relax beneath the blanket. She merely sat on its thick furs and eyed Azaria.

 

[Zazz]

Brandyl shook his head, the grass rustling in his ears. "Certainly not like this." The boy sat up to talk to Tethran, retrieving some dried fruit to snack on. "I help the healers tend to the wounded when they need help, but mostly I tend to the plants for our alchemists. We grow what we can within our walls, and gather what we can't. When there is time, I learn alchemy from Master Lorthren and the others."

Azaria held the clanmaid's gaze and nodded. "Haethryl and I were on a raid just before you arrived. We didn't really get a chance to rest." She shrugged. She was used to this life, now. The Duindôr woman stretched forward as Haethryl pulled away. Her silvery scars shimmered in the last light of the sunset; they covered her arms and snaked out from under her sleeveless shirt.

While Haethryl buried himself in his cloak, Azaria scooted over next to Sylven. She, too, pulled her cloak around her shoulders, holding one side open for the clanmaid if she so desired.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran listened, idly rubbing at his chin as the young elf spoke. "You seem... different from the others. A little less uh, intense. No offense to them, of course," he hurried to add, worried about bringing the wrath of Sylven upon him again if he said anything insulting. But she didn't seem to be listening. Huffing out a small sigh of relief, he turned his attention back to Brandyl. "Veyen seems to look up to you a lot. I'm glad. He... sort of struggled to get along with a few of the Virdan." Pressing his lips together, Tethran idly combed a hand through his short hair. "We're not blood, but I've always thought of Veyen sort of like a little brother. It hurts to see him so quiet and withdrawn most of the time. I was shocked when he started talking so openly with you." His gaze landed on Veyen, who was already asleep, and the elder hunter smiled.

"An... exhausting life," Sylven said in reply to the Duindôr woman. But she seemed accustomed to it. It was simply their way. Too bad their way involved so much violence. Could all the clans truly connect again, and be stronger together than separate? "Perhaps we can take a moment in the human city to relax before entering the Dread Caverns. I don't know. I suppose it depends on how rushed we feel our journey must be, and how... comfortable or not the humans seem with our presence, but we shall see." She liked the idea of taking a bath once in the city and trying a few human foods - she hadn't seen humans in quite a long time, but she vaguely recalled some kind of fruit pastry they'd made, and it was delicious. It would be amazing to try one again.

When Azaria held open her cloak, Sylven's cheeks warmed a little. Why not? It may get cold in the night. She settled next to Azaria, pulling her fur bedroll atop them for extra warmth as the sun sank ever further beneath the horizon and night brought a sharp chill with it.

 

[Zazz]

Brandyl chuckled. "They can be a bit much, sometimes. But they're good people." He frowned when Tethran told him of his new friend's troubles at home. "I like him," he said, glancing over at Veyen's sleeping form. "I don't know how anyone could be mean to him." He was glad to be Veyen's friend, and was happy to hear that the younger elf seemed to feel similarly.

Azaria couldn't help the smile that tickled her lips when the clanmaid laid close to her. Leaning on her elbow, she gently stroked Sylven's dark hair. "They are usually quite receptive to our trades, but we've never been that far north. Humans are finicky creatures; one day they hate, the next they desire."

 

[PhoenixMire]

“He’s a little different. He doesn’t like interacting with the clan as much as most. He’s very reserved. Some of the Virdan just find this a little odd, I guess.” Tethran shrugged. “Not to mention how excited he gets about plants and their uses - sometimes that’s all he can talk about, and some find that annoying. I think it’s cute.” The hunter grinned. But then he went silent for a brief moment, and his expression turned more solemn. “I sort of took him under my wing when his parents… passed on. It wasn’t long ago. They both got sick. We… don’t know if it was the curse or not. It hasn’t hit any elves yet - just plants and animals - and Lady Sylven says she didn’t sense dark magic from them when they passed, so maybe it was a regular illness. It just seemed so strange though.”

Dragging a hand down his face, Tethran sighed heavily and looked into Brandyl’s face for a moment before quickly averting his eyes again. “Sorry. Don’t know why I’m telling you all this. Veyen won’t be happy if he knows I talked, he doesn’t like mentions of his parents.”

Sylven flushed as she felt Azaria’s fingers on her hair. Spirits’ sake. She didn’t know how she felt about all this. But she tried to swallow her conflicting feelings and blinked up at the other woman. “Are they that bad? I confess I’ve not had many dealings with humans. Only sometimes. Occasionally trading caravans will venture far enough South that we deal with them, but it hasn’t happened for a long time. As least not as long as little Veyen’s lifetime.”

 

[Zazz]

Brandyl 's brows furrowed the more Tethran told him. The poor kid, he thought. So many of his people knew what it was like to lose those they loved, but it seemed they pushed through their grief differently than the Virdan. The young alchemist stifled a yawn, sleep drawing ever closer as the last rays of sun took the warmth of day with them. "We can talk about plants all he likes," he told Tethran, smiling sleepily at Veyen. "I think I'm ready for bed. Thanks for talking first watch. Best let Azaria wake Haethryl, if you need to. He, uh... He doesn't take kindly to it," Bran said, eyeing the large man who was fast asleep.

The young alchemist set himself up for sleep next to Veyen, again. Like Azaria had, he shared his cloak with the boy, and wrapped an arm around him to keep them both warm under the night's chill.

Azaria watched the clanmaid's face, though it was dim and she could hardly see it. She continued to toy with the woman's hair, finding a soothing rhythm in it. "They are prone to fear, I find. Fear of the 'other'." Though, she supposed most cultures did the same. Look at the elves; the Virdan and the southern elves detested the Duindôrin, for what? Because they were different. "Yet, somehow, they still manage to celebrate the very same things."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran nodded. “Veyen would like that,” he said with a small smile. “Night, Brandyl.” He watched as the other man wrapped an arm around Veyen, feeling a sense of contentment that the young hunter had found a friend. What a strange way to find that friend, though - amongst the Duindôr. Life was full of unexpected turns.

Sylven listened to Azaria’s words, but through something of a haze. She found herself growing more and more tired. The way Azaria played with her hair was relaxing, she thought, and it was putting her to sleep. “Hmm. Well, I hope we will find some warmth amongst the humans when we stop at their city,” she said. Her eyes drifted shut and she covered her mouth with a hand as she yawned. “I’m… mmm, it’s late,” she murmured blearily. They had done so, so much walking, and she felt so relaxed now… “Good night, Azaria.”

 

[Zazz]

When the Virdan awoke, it was to the smell of sizzling meat. Azaria had taken the second watch, and had managed to hunt a few snakes. Brandyl was sitting by the fire while Azaria roasted chunks of snake meat. He was handling strips of snakeskin, rubbing salt into the fleshy sides. He had used braided grasses to hold them relatively flat, and strung them up on some sticks as best he could.

 

[PhoenixMire]

The smell of meat drew Tethran out of his slumber first. Groggily rubbing sleep from his eyes, he sat up, his tunic askew on his shoulder, and he yawned widely. “What’s that smell?” he asked. His eyes went to the cooking food, and his mouth began to water.

Sylven woke next. Her eyes slowly cracked open and she noticed a distinct lack of Azaria by her side. Strangely, she missed the other woman’s warmth… Shaking the thought away and combing a hand through her messy hair, she sat up from her bedroll, slowly packing it back away. “I take it nothing of note happened last night as we slept?” She eyed the sizzling meat, and her stomach growled a little. She was tiring of jerky. Some fresh meat sounded wonderful.

Veyen awoke last - he stretched his arms high over his head and yawned loudly. Just like the rest of the Virdan, he was drawn to the cooking meat like a moth to light. He eyed it hungrily.

 

[Zazz]

"Welcome to the living, princess," Azaria teased. She had left her cloak over the sleeping clanmaid the night before, and simply put on her armor. She passed the Virdan men each a stick of snake meat, saving a slightly larger piece to hand to Sylven.

Haethryl returned from a ways away and took a piece for himself, giving Azaria's shoulder a squeeze. They shared a look after a glance at Sylven, and Azaria smacked him in the shin, training her eyes on the fire as her cheeks turned a faint shade of red.

"Good morning," Brandyl said to Veyen with a smile.