Fantasy The Aspect Saga

[Goonfire]

Rollo Solveig

Rollo went wide-eyed and blinked several times, nonplussed by the bizarre situation of which Seren informed him. “That lady did seem pretty intimidating; maybe the rain was afraid to hit her,” he admitted with a small injection of humor. “Probably has strong magic if she only brought two other people with her. Or she’s just cocky...” Although he never backed down from a challenge, this was one can of worms he seriously didn’t want to open in the first place.

On his way to the barn, Rollo looked over Seren from head to toe. “You from Fenn?” he questioned. “My father came from there, too. He’s probably with his wolf at ho-ly crap in a bread basket!” The man cut himself off at the sight of the lightning pegasus, who had quite literally put its foot down at the other members’ poor behavior. “I kinda wanna ride it,” he whispered excitedly before Kadri explained the function of her artifact. Although he didn’t say it, he seriously thought the fabled artifact would be larger... and in worse condition.
Flutterby Baconhands


Ivarr Savage

The intent to upgrade from cyanide to blowfish poison subsided as Aezi interrupted the commotion. Kadri had explained her quandary. “What a curse,” he purred, sauntering away from the others. “Long story short, Lady No-Taste, Tweedledee, and Tweedledumbass are agents of the monster hunting you? Or perhaps...” he paused for a second to let the tension thicken, staring Kadri directly in the eyes intently. “... Lady No-Taste is the monster.”

With a few more stragglers having trailed in, Ivarr peeked out into the rain, then closed the stable doors again. He decided to stand guard, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. His mind wandered back to the implications of stealing—er, owning—an artifact; was it really worth the trouble? He chose to not answer his own question until he could provide a definite answer.
Baconhands

 

[Flutterby]

Seren gave the bare-chested man a look of genuine surprise. It stayed on her face for longer than her usual flash of emotion, but disappeared as soon as they walked into the barn. Nearly every person she had met so far had to ask about where she was from. He must have, what, heard it? Seen it? Seren reached a hand back and brushed the bottom of her pack. Well, he definitely didn't see it because of Arwen.
Goonfire
Kadri quickly, breathlessly explained more about the situation. Seren really wanted to go help her, to offer her some of her water and bread, but there was no way the smaller girl from the Fenn was about to go at Tattoo-Face to get near her.
But she at least got to her feet, even if she shook there.
Seren watched the faces of the others as Kadri explained. Were they here just for the money? Could she go along with them if they were? Would she be able to handle all of that greed and self-service?
Seren quickly decided she didn't have a choice. These artifacts were.. big, even she could tell that. This was big, and if she wanted to learn, she needed to be part of it.

 

[SilverFlight]

Graham shot Kadri a look of uncertainty. "'Ey now, are you sure you want te be givin' away all the information in one go?" When she offered the artifacts as payment Graham had to make a conscious effort to hold his tongue. This was one of the few times he would ever find himself agreeing with a horse, whose expression was not very far off his own.
"Fine, off we pop then. Where are the other beasts?" Graham looked around the stable, but it was empty. "We're no' going te ge' very far withou' somethin' te ride, and we cannae all fi' on tha' beastie, besides. I don' like the way i' keeps sparkin'."

Suddenly there was a noise from outside. Raised voices, a woman and two men. The sound of steel rang and a dog growled. One of the men screamed and then, all four figures came crashing through the door, straight on top of Ivarr: The woman, her two opponents and a wardog, cropped ears back and snarling like mad.
The woman was dressed in full armour, a shield up to parry strikes by her attacker. One of the men was already on the floor, clutching a savaged arm. The dog went for the second man, grabbed his thigh, cloth, flesh and all and wrenched, nearly hurling the man off his feet with her strength. The knight did the rest, plowing into him and sending him tumbling over the dog's back.
"Thank you Bluebell!" She smiled at the dog.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." She turned to Kadri and thumbed at the fallen men. "They wanted a word, but I don't think it was a good one."
Baconhands Goonfire
Flutterby SilverNova LazyDaze

 

[Goonfire]

Ivarr Savage

The commotion outside prompted Ivarr to peek outside again, only to see the flash of a man tumbling in his direction. He had barely enough time to rear his head before the doors could hit his face. Still, he was sent reeling, the full force projected onto his chest. He extended a hand, planting it firmly on the ground so he could recover with some odd maneuver akin to a backflip and a roll.

Landing gracefully on his feet, Ivarr then drew his own blade: a flamberge. These two men had fell to this woman and her dog. “Yes, you are quite late. Yes, we were trying to be quiet. Aaaand yes, we should probably leave right now, because No-Taste is probably on her way out here now,” the queen mildly scolded. “Did you make an escape plan prior to this, Kadri?” he then asked sweetly, albeit with an underlying frustration.

SilverFlight Baconhands

 

[Baconhands]

At the sudden crash of the stable doors, Kadri was very much startled into alertness, her posture straightened and her right hand went to Aezi. There was a brief relief as she realised that two of those that were involved were indeed two of her enemy's minions and that they had been swiftly taken care of by an armoured figure and her warhound. They were at least incapacitated. Such respite was short lived, however, as Kadri was all too aware that if they were here, then she would not be too far behind.
"No you're not late. Nice to meet you, I'm Kadri. You've all got approximately ten seconds to get your hand on one part of this Pegasus or you'll be left behind to deal not only with them once they've recovered but also somebody who I can almost certainly guarantee will murder you before you have even a chance to raise your voice or even a hair in protest." The lineaged said quickly, grabbing hold of Aezi.

The Pegasus's wings unfurled from its sides, sparking at the walls of the stables as the tips of them reached the sides. Kadri kept a watchful eye on the entrance to the stables, painfully aware that at any moment she could step round the corner and end this quest before it had a chance to properly begin. She swore she could make out the sounds of footsteps in the rain - whether this was paranoia or not, she could not be certain, but it was apparent that even the pegasus was starting to grow restless.
Goonfire SilverFlight SilverNova LazyDaze Flutterby

 

[Goonfire]

Rollo applauded the tough warrior who had wiped out the two attackers. “That was a good one,” he complimented as she drew closer to converse with the rest. “You found the ‘help wanted’ sign, too?” Of course, there was no time to make small-talk. The boss-lady was coming this way, and Rollo really didn’t want to see if Kadri was exaggerating. He was among the first to place his hand on Aezi.

Ivarr jogged over to the pegasus, taking a brief few seconds on the way to swap weapons. He quickly loaded a bolt into the stringless crossbow, the mechanism pulling and locking back easily before a faint purple string faded into existence. With one hand on Aezi’s neck and the other aiming, he fired the shot, aiming to execute the one ravaged by the dog. ‘That one won’t be recovering,’ he thought, a cocky smirk adorning his face.

SilverFlight Baconhands

 

[LazyDaze]

Grim agreed with Graham even though he was a beneficiary of her torrent of information. However, he wasn't sure if everyone would have ran off with her had she not offered them any information although they did look to be the desperate type. Grim didn't flinch when the doors flung open revealing a woman caught in a bit of a scuffle. It was another violent weirdo...I mean what kind of luck, or lack thereof, does Kadri have to attract this many people of this kind? His mind was on other matters. Monetary gain was okay, but he could always steal from people. They seemed interesting, but he could always record stories of others, for their were a plethora of 'interesting people', but the artifacts....that might be something Grim could get behind. With all these rough necks he would be able to take it easy on this journey....hopefully. Besides Kadri, I'm sure none of them trusted each other as far as they could throw them.....well Rollo could probably throw them pretty far.....

"Eureka, I will allow you to allow me to accompany you Kadri. You have a knack for attracting trouble and I'm simply curious to see where this goes," Grim said as he held on to his hat while speeding toward the mythical horse. Grim touched the horse and looked at everyone while smiling. ".....I'm sorry, its like a petting zoo. I'm just so excited...it's my first time," he said...purposely letting the double entendre hang in the air.

Baconhands Goonfire SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Bronwyn gave Kadri a very odd look, but didn't question. She stepped to the fantastic animal and, still in awe of it, put her hands gently on Aezi's neck.
"Fantastic." She marveled. "Come on Blue, you too." She gave one quick hand signal and the dog sideled up close to the horse's leg and put a paw against it as she looked up at Bronwyn for approval.
Graham on the other hand, took a step back/
"I'm no' touchin' tha' great fizzlin' death beast!"
He watched Bronwyn and a few of the others obey, and he also watched them as they did not explode. Graham made a horrible face.
"Fine. But if I catch fire you're buyin' me a new pair o' trousers."
He stepped closer and carefully put his hand out, wincing as his fingers connected with fur. The creature was warm, and something seemed to course under it's skin a tingling, and a smell, like a field after a lightning strike, filled his nose.
One of the other people in the room made a joke about 'his first time'.
"Small wonder." Graham replied flatly.

Baconhands LazyDaze Flutterby SilverNova Goonfire

 

[Flutterby]

Seren watched it all with an expression that appeared to be half boredom and half suspicion. Behind it, she was brimming with nervousness, curiosity, an all-consuming need to know about herself, and just a hint of disgust. Some of the men here were.. her least favorite type, as far as she could tell.
The look on her face slipped only when the fight came crashing into the barn. For a heartbeat, she showed how startled she was, and then how determined. Her hand twitched toward her knife, and then relaxed quickly. The woman, or rather her dog, had it handled. Seren relaxed, and so did her face.
As the group settled and began to place their hands on the lightning pegasus, the girl from the Fenn hesitated. At last, after gritting her teeth through several "witty" comments, she told herself that she would have to get over the fact that she already disliked most of the people there. This was too important, and it wasn't a social club. She stepped forward and placed a hand near the top of Aezi's neck, taking a gentle hold of a lock of his mane. She had expected it to feel like any other horse. It didn't.

 

[Baconhands]

Kadri did not appreciate the comments thrown in her direction. A profound dread had found its way to her mind and heart and it only intensified when she realised that these people were the ones she would be hunting the artefacts with. Maybe offering them as a reward had been a bad idea - only time would tell. But more immediate matters soon dismissed such thoughts. With everyone present in contact with Aezi, she took a glance to the entrance. The third stranger stood there, ominously shadowed in the doorway, her robes unaffected by the wind or the rain, as if both were purposefully seeking to avoid having any sort of contact with her. All she was doing was smiling a gentle smile, her eyes fixed on the creature the party had gathered around. As the pegasus flapped its wings, Kadri's vision was engulfed in light. The last image she saw before her vision was lost was the stranger raising her hand, and the two bodies twitching back to life.
SilverFlight LazyDaze Flutterby SilverNova Goonfire

​

When the light faded from her eyes, Kadri found herself standing at the edge of a forest. The trees stood ominously in front of her, stretching westwards for as far as the eye could see, eventually becoming little more than a dark mass of foliage, tree trunks, and leaves. She stood in waist high grass that seemed to bare an odd hew of green that, when it caught the light of the sun correctly, seemed to sparkled a light bronze. While it gave way to her when she moved, it certainly felt more rigid than the grass in Volk. Behind them, running the to the north and south was a road - less a road, more the path that had been laid out by thousands of travellers which had indented itself into the landscape. Beyond that was a small line of sand, only a few metres across, and the sea, which lapped lazily against the coast. The sky was clear, save a few clouds, and the sun was just about visible above the trees to the West.

Kadri practically collapsed after taking this all in, sinking to her knees, her breathing laboured and forced as she tried to recover whatever energy she could. After a few moments, she raised her head, trying to save some sort of dignity as she glanced at her would be companions. "Parthia... we're in Parthia... before you ask. We... we will get moving soon... I just need a moment. Um... I can... well introductions, questions, answers... I think should be given. Most of you already know who I am and if you don't then you can probably guess."

 

[Flutterby]

Seren took a long, slow inhale. She watched Kadri closely, wondering about the magic here. Instead of identifying the magic, Seren saw the moment her eyes went from a slow sweep to locking onto a tangible object. She followed her gaze, and found the woman from inside.
I knew she wouldn't be long, Seren mused, finding that the smile on her face was more chilling than anything else. Well, almost anything else. She certainly wasn't expecting to see the dead man's body twitch- once, twice- and then they were gone.

Next there were trees. The warmth of sun. A faint sound of waves. Seren only looked at the trees for a few moments. They were not her trees, she knew that much. No time for climbing.
The young woman turned and moved next to Kadri with a certainty to her movement that would be hard to stop. By the time she was crouched next to her, she had water in one hand and bread in the other. The bread was dark, sweeter than most, but plain.

Seren held the water out first.
"That woman brought the dead men back, and you conjured a beast," She whispered. A moment later, she offered the bread. The was a sound from the pack that she had set down. A shuffling, followed by a soft growl. Seren reached over and opened the top absently.
"I've never heard of this place. I've never heard of magic like that. You need to explain more." Her voice was kind, but her eyes were bordering on cold. As she said it, a brown head popped out- triangle ears, black eyes, thin snout. The head was followed by a body, making a break for the bread she was offering Kadri. Seren used her other hand to catch Arwen with barely a glance, earning an indignant bark.
"Impolite little wench." Seren said, almost warmly, as if it was an explanation to Kadri. She re-offered the bread. If she didn't have to hold on to Arwen, she would've offered cheese as well.
"Eat, then explain."
Baconhands
SilverFlight LazyDaze SilverNova Goonfire

 

[LazyDaze]

Faster than the blink of an eye they were transported to an entirely new area. No storms, no howling winds, and the sea was as gorgeous as ever. It was definitely an upgrade to their previous situation in that cramped up smelly shack. Despite all this that woman had the strangest magic of all. Bringing the dead back to life was no easy feat, and one couldn't help but wonder at what cost did such a magic have. Still, to meet someone with a creepier smile than his own was fortuitous...he might be in love. Grim stood up and stretched as he enjoyed the breeze as Kadri was once again incapacitated. Unlike Seren he didn't make any efforts to aid her in her physical plight lest that man with the funny accent come running once again to slay all who enter her air space. Well, he probably wouldn't have helped anyway.

"I'm Grim the StoryTeller, and I'm here because their are forces conspiring against the world beyond our control! I must partake in such an event it bear witness to the winds of fate!....Just kidding, I'm just here because I'm bored," Grim said with a little dance and twirl of his cane after his dramatic act. As he dusted off his hat he admired the surrounding area. Parthia.... "Nevertheless, It is quite the conundrum we have. We were there, and now we are here. Our next destination is where, but do I even care....probably not." Grim said with a slight hum as he surveyed his surroundings. He then turned to Seren who was in the midst of helping Kadri who was once again incapacitated.

"What a lovely sight; a damsel helping the distressed. Hopefully the prince does well with being replaced," Grim said as he pointed to the previously overprotective Graham who was sure to have something to say about this. He joked around but he eyed Kadri carefully. Magic like this couldn't be done by just any individual. She was more likely than not a lineaged, and as forthcoming as she was, there was still mystery surrounding her.

Flutterby Baconhands SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Graham had removed his hand from the pegasus as soon as they'd made the jump. He had not known what happened. He didn't care to ask. The less he had to think about strange beasts and magic the better. He didn't pay much mind to what was said, but he did watch the food and drink carefully.
"You like the sound o' you're own voice don' ye lad?" He didn't glance at Grim, but removed a small silver cup from a hidden pocket.
He bent down too and offered Seren a roguish smile before he took the water from her carefully and put a small dose into the cup, then he waited as he watched it. Seeming satisfied he reached down and took a tiny corner of the bread, putting it into the water and letting it fall to pieces.
This seemed to satisfy him too after a time and he tossed both water and bread out onto the grass and replaced the silver cup.
"Well it's no' poisoned, unless you count it sharing space with a rat." He gave a disdainful glance at the animal Seren was now holding.
Graham stayed by Kadri. "If you wan' te get movin', let me put you on tha' horse of yours. It can walk like a proper horse can' i'?"

Bronwyn jumped when the new scenery suddenly appeared. She hadn't expected the sunlight, or the extra space and she nearly lost her balance on the now uneven ground of the grassland. The sound of the sea against sand was a fresh music in her ears.
Her poor dog started too, and began running this way and that, stopping short and looking about, ears on the swivel like a jackrabbit, not quite able to comprehend with her dog brain what had just happened. Blue settled soon however and was off chasing small birds in the grass while her master took stock of where they were.
"Are you all right?" She asked, noticing Kadri's drained appearance. Seren was helping her already and Bron didn't want to clutter the space, but she gave Kadri a sympathetic look.
"Why Parthia?" She asked simply.

Baconhands LazyDaze Flutterby
SilverNova Goonfire

 

[Baconhands]

Kadri wanted to take the water and the bread with every fiber of her being, but it felt as if both were snatched away from her before she could even so much as lift a finger to grab them. As her energy started returning to her, she gave the man who had snatched them from her a glance of what could have been, in that moment, pure scorn and hatred. That smile genuinely annoyed her, as if he thought he was the smartest person here. As Grim's words registered, however, she got a sinking feeling that there were possibly many people in the newly formed party that had a very similar attitude to him.
When her 'bodyguard' confirmed that the bread and water were uncontaminated Kadri took them and wolfed them both down hungrily. There was very little left when she was done, and she very ungracefully wiped her mouth afterwards, laying down in the grass, facing upwards, her breath finally returning to her.
"To... to answer a couple of questions; we're in Parthia. If memory... serves - this is one of the Commonwealth's colonies... modeled after the Platinum Consulate. On the east coast... of the island. Aezi will... will have brought us here for a reason. I imagine there must be... must be an artefact nearby." She struggled to sit up, resting back on her hands, the top of her head just barely visible in the grass.
Flutterby SilverFlight LazyDaze

The lineaged took a moment before she found her way to her feet. Rolling back her shoulders, she took a few tentative steps before she stood beside Aezi. "Questions can be asked and answers can be given as we move toward our first objective. Um... Aezi is... is essentially a guide. What artefact we will encounter I do not know... not until we're close. I... I can't give much more information than that. Um... other than that... information regarding the woman at the tavern... just... just for now... I don't know if it would be safer for you all to tell you more... so..." Her pauses no longer came from exhaustion, but a clear sort of timidity that spoke of somebody entirely out of their depth.
Flutterby SilverFlight LazyDaze SilverNova Goonfire

 

[SilverFlight]

Graham listened without interrupting. He heard her falter, trip over her words. She really had no idea what she was doing. He couldn't understand why she was doing it at all, but with the magic horse, and the fact that it would probably only obey Kadri, Graham had little choice but to go along with whatever she had planned. She wasn't going to be doing this without at least one person watching out for her.
He stepped forward without a word, took her gently by the waist and lifted her carefully onto Aezi's back to ride side-saddle just before the joint of his wing. Gray was stronger than he looked, but he didn't trust his luck around the magical creature, aspect or no. He was very careful not to touch the sparking feathers.
"Righ' well, tell the beast te giddyup." Graham started ahead of the animal, making for the road, hoping it would move too. They could talk while they walked, and Kadri rode to regain all her strength.
Baconhands

 

[Flutterby]

Seren watched Tattoo-Face patiently, glad for a reason to ignore Hat-Man. She didn't like the way he behaved, not in the slightest. She ignored it when he spoke to her, feigning busyness.
When Tattoo-Face cleared her food, there was a twitch at the corner of her mouth. It might have been the suggestion of a smirk.
Mildly, she said, "This 'rat' is cleaner and more well-mannered than most men." At the end of the statement, she looked up at him with a tense brow, narrowed eyes, lips pressed together, the smallest rise at the corner of her nose. A subtle but clear warning to watch his words. With a small shrug, she let the expression soften, and added, "And she has her own pocket, quite separate from the rest."
Seren glanced at Arwen, who was none the wider of the insult, and uttered, "Arwen, dawlet." The marten perked at the sound of her name, and then relaxed. Seren relaxed her own grip, and let Arwen climb back to the ground. She settled for staring longingly at the food, at least for now.

Seren stood and backed off as Kadri seemed to recover, and have Arwen a little bread to satisfy her before pointing to the pack. Arwen barked, but lumbered over. The marten hopped into interior, dutifully staying to the proper side of a hand-sewed partition. She insisted on keeping her head out the top, even when Seren picked the pack up and slung it onto her shoulder. She waited until they were moving, and then fell in to the side of Aezi.
Seren didn't want to press Kadri about things she was so clearly uncomfortable speaking on, at least not at that moment. Instead, she glanced around at the group.
"What are you all called?"
Baconhands SilverFlight LazyDaze SilverNova Goonfire

 

[LazyDaze]

"To prefer a voice other than your own is suicide," Grim said seriously as he shrugged off Graham's comments. He could tell right away he wasn't a fan favorite in this group. Ah to be misunderstood in your own time...a true path to greatness. Seren in particular seemed to maintain the frostbite on her shoulder. He couldn't see why she would be ungrateful for his warning even though Graham seemed a bit more controlled this time around. As was the growing trend, several others had questions for Kadri and the group. It seemed the more answers they got, the more questions they had. He listened to her words carefully as she stuttered about. He couldn't totally blame her since she was surrounded by complete strangers.

"You imagine...?" Grim said aloud as he pulled a sandwich out of his hat...he was hungry. He looked at the sandwich carefully and took a small bite as he delighted in having food in this situation. (So in other words its anybody's guess as to why we're here. ) He chuckled to himself as he left it to the group to figure it all out. Seren then asked for introductions, or something of that nature to which Grim sighed after shrugging his shoulders. "Ah I've introduced myself twice now and yet I am as invisible as air itself," He pouted as he placed the half eaten sandwich back into his hat and then pulled out a container that held fresh water. "By the way anyone want a sandwich, or a cookie? I might have something else..."

Baconhands SilverFlight Flutterby

 

[Goonfire]

Ivarr’s eye twitched in annoyance. The largest problem wasn't that they were teleported all the way to Parthia, practically on a whim. It was that two men, each with one foot in the grave and the other slipping on a banana peel, effortlessly rose again. “I cannot believe they got up. That one was shot in the head,” he complained, squinching his eyes shut with his brow furrowed. “Nothing I shoot gets up.” Like a bratty, pouting child, he sat on a large rock with a huff and crossed his arms.

Ivarr half-listened to the banter while coming down from his temporarily-poor mood. He gleaned several key pieces of information, though his nose wrinkled in annoyance when Kadri tried to withhold information on that woman she was evading. "I suppose we'll have to work on building trust later... when you think it safer to tell us who she is," he noted aloud. He then perked up at the offer of cookies. "Cookies? Where? I like sweets," the assassin cooed in anticipation. "You may address me as Ivarr Savage, the most fabulous exotic weapons merchant in the Consulate. You must say the whole thing, or I'll be very disappointed." The smug grin indicated he was being sarcastic.
Baconhands LazyDaze Flutterby

Rollo crossed his arms at Ivarr. "I don't think we can fight her anyway," he stated bluntly. "If she can raise two dead men with one hand, we'll need more than our knuckles or a sword to take her down." While the others were resting for that brief moment, he sprinkled some seeds on the ground and pushed them into the dirt. As he slowly raised his hand, a tiny berry bush sprouted, rapidly growing from a sapling and rapidly bearing its blue fruit. After plucking a handful from the productive plant, Rollo brought them over and offered them to Kadri. "These will help. At least, they help when I need a small boost."

Like a good boy, Rollo introduced himself. "I'm Rollo Solveig. Dunno if my name comes up among the Commonwealth sporting community, but I'm a gold medalist in wrestling!" Stroking his stubble, he asked no one in particular, "Do people talk about me outside the Arbor/Silverun/Union region...?"
Baconhands

 

[Baconhands]

Kadri wasn't exactly in a position to resist when she was lifted unceremoniously on to Aezi. She'd never considered riding him before - more oft than not she'd used him to transport her somewhere and then allowed him free reign to go where he wished until she needed him again. But the pegasus did not protest, in fact it seemed more than happy to give the lineaged a lift until her energies were returned to her. Kadri, while she wasn't exactly happy to be a burden on Aezi, was somewhat relieved to be able to be on the move while she could recover.
There were a couple of introductions made as Graham made for the road. While Aezi did not follow directly, he walked parallel with the sea, through the grass, occasional bursts of energy emanating from its wings and zapping any poor, unfortunate insect that came within range. Grim, Ivarr, and Rollo had made their names known, and Kadri made sure to acknowledge them all in turn.

Grim's offer of food was tempting, though she bit back her tongue when she saw that they were pulled from the Storyteller's hat. With a weak smile, Kadri refused. "I'm... I'm certain you're a good baker. Maybe I will try one later." She offered as a compromise. "You call yourself a story teller. Perhaps you could share some with me when we stop?"
LazyDaze

Ivarr Savage was apparently a trader from the Consulate, though his mannerisms were hardly reminiscent of Sigrid's. The Commonwealth was a diverse place, however, and Kadri had no doubt in her mind that there must have been quite a handful of merchants and Consuls who held a similar attitude to this one.
"I know a few traders from the Consulate. There are several trading towns and cities across the East coast of Volk, you may have visited a couple. Kaunu and Tallin are... to my understanding well known."
Before any more of a conversation could occur, however, she was offered some fruit by Rollo. Before she let her bodyguard intervene, she had placed one in her mouth, and was quickly enjoying the rest. "Thank you," she said between munches, "I'm... I'm afraid to say a lot of news from the Commonwealth doesn't make it to Volk... at least not outside of political circles. But I don't doubt your fame or your abilities."
Rollo instantly struck her as somebody akin to Hendrik and she felt somewhat at ease talking to him.
Goonfire

The others that had not introduced themselves received glances from Kadri. They all intrigued her immensely - the one that had offered her bread, the woman with red-kissed brown hair that was only highlighted in the setting sun, carried with her an animal companion of some sort and Kadri had to stop herself from commenting how cute Arwen was. And then, as the creature's head popped out of the bag, the lineaged couldn't contain herself.
"By the Aspects that might be the most adorable thing I've ever seen!" She exclaimed. "Um... sorry... I-uh... she's very well-groomed?" Kadri tried to regain some sort of professionalism, more than aware that she had probably lost any air of authority very early on. Her eyes drifted sheepishly across the landscape, and spotted the intermittent head of a bobbing dog following the armoured late-comer. That one came from some sort of noble background, she was certain of it.
"Arenthor or Norgard?" She called to the knight.
Flutterby SilverFlight

 

[Flutterby]

Seren gave Grim a glance. The look on her face could have been annoyance or confusion- there wasn't enough of it to tell which. Apparently, he was either not smart enough or too self-involved to realize she wasn't asking him. Or maybe he just didn't care.
LazyDaze

She took note of what Ivarr said. She hadn't come up with a pseudo-name for him, but if she had, it probably would've been Rainbow. He had strange eyes, dyed hair, and dressed in rich tones. Remembering his name would be just as difficult as remembering any name. What she would remember were the words 'exotic weapons.' What exactly did that mean? How could a weapon be exotic?

Rollo, the boulder of a men she had hauled out of the tavern, turned out to be a sportsman. A wrestler. She had heard of it, of people betting money on it too, but never seen it. Sounded like a well-suited sport for him.
Goonfire

Seren looked over a Kadri, and the corner of her mouth twitched upward. It stayed there for a moment, making her smirk obvious for the first time.
"Arwen is cute," She confirmed, with the air of someone giving permission. "She is quite friendly, will cuddle with most anyone. But she will also swipe food from most anyone, so watch your pack if she's hungry."
Seren reached a hand over her shoulder, right next to Arwen's head. The marten squeaked and pushed her head against it, getting a rub behind the ear before Seren removed her hand.
"A good companion, other than that."
Baconhands

 

[SilverFlight]

Graham smiled at Seren politely. "Tha' may be, bu' we both know tha's no a very high bar te jump is i'?"
He soon saw he wasn't getting out of an introduction, and he committed the other names to memory before offering his own.
"Graham. Gray'll do."

As they began to walk he realized the horse had it's own idea of where to go, and Kadri didn't seem to be stopping it. He changed course, keeping a wary distance as sparks flew from the creature.
"Is tha' beast no gonna start drawin' attention..." He asked with an uneasy glance at Kadri.

Bronwyn looked up when the name of her homeland was mentioned. Blue looked to the sound of the voice as well and took it as a cue to bound in and give several legs a friendly bump.
"Arenthor." She called back. "My name is Bronwyn. It's a pleasure." She bowed her head respectfully, thinking it better to do it than not.
She caught sight of the marten and a bright grin spread over her face.
"Astonishing you tamed an animal like that. May I?" Bronwyn reached a hand out, but did not put it down to the creature until Seren gave her permission.
"So, we just follow the magical horse then?" She asked, still marveling at Aezi.

Baconhands Flutterby
Goonfire LazyDaze

 

[Flutterby]

Seren turned her head slightly to look at Tattoo-Face, now Graham but preferring Gray. She wanted to ask him about the nickname. It didn't seem to reference anything about his appearance, at least not obviously. She had a sneaking suspicion that most around her were lineaged, though, so perhaps it referred to some hidden scales. She remained silent, and slowly moved her eyes away. Seren had made no effort to hide her thoughtful stare, but made no move to explain or excuse it.

The only person who she thought wasn't lineaged was the one who spoke to her next. The knight with the dog called Blue. Bronwyn.
With the suggestion of a smile, she gave a nod as permission and said, "She'll take an upturned palm as an invitation to climb you like a tree."
Arwen was already stretching her neck to try to catch a strong wiff of Bronwyn's smell, and to earn a scratch behind the ears, her clawed paws pressing against the side of the pack.
Seren hesitated for a moment, watching Blue for a moment, and then offered the explanation she thought Bronwyn was looking for.
"It is an old tradition for my people to seek an animal partner when we become adults. I caught her out of a tree when she was still young, it took a while to convince her to be friendly. Now I can't convince her to not be."
SilverFlight

 

[Baconhands]

The lineaged returned the smile and the bow of her head. Kadri wondered whether this Bronwyn was one of the knights that she had heard so much about - ones that supposedly rode griffins into battle, and had their armour blessed by priests from priests of every lineage. Most of these stories Kadri knew were hyperbole but a part of her wanted part of them to be true. Making a mental note to ask later, she thought for a moment about the knight's question before she answered.
"Aezi's... like a compass. He will show us the way and take us as close as he can to any given artefact but... he will only take us so far before he won't go any further." She paused, looking at her now named bodyguard, "Inevitably he will draw some attention but I think we will be able to deal with it. If necessary then Aezi will get us to safety, at least temporarily... maybe not for as long as I originally thought but temporary safety is better than no safety at all, right?"
SilverFlight

"If I may say so, it's... well it's an interesting tradition." Kadri mused aloud. "Volk's not similar at all," she chuckled, "I'd very much like to visit the Fenn at some point, maybe in less dire times. The Commonwealth in general actually. Sigrid came from the Consulate and..." Kadri caught herself. She shook her head and gave Seren a weak smile, "Make sure to keep Arwen safe. I wouldn't want you to lose such a companion. I-I've tried to collect a couple of the artefacts before and failed at every attempt - the things that keep them are... safely a match for us but not the creature that's hunting them."
Flutterby

 

[LazyDaze]

Grim flipped Ivarr a cookie once he asked. One of his codes to live by was to never deny a cookie to any who ask. Of course, he made that up just now, but it was a code nonetheless.

Ivarr Savage, the most fabulous exotic weapons merchant in the Consulate, I didn't take you for a cookie monster...monster, but not of the cookie variety. Ivarr Savage, the most fabulous exotic weapons merchant in the Consulate, those are chocolate chip, I have a few more if you need em. Ivarr Savage, the most fabulous exotic weapons merchant in the Consulate, how did you attain such a name like Ivarr Savage, the most fabulous exotic weapons merchant in the Consulate. You would think someone would stop halfway. It must suck when someone needs to call out to you in urgency. Imagine you are about to get stabbed and then I have to shout ‘Ivarr Savage, the most fabulous…deadman.’ BUT HEY, that will never happen.

Grim reached into his hat again and pulled out some more cookies to stuff his face with. To his surprise, Kadri seemed to be interested in his stories. It was genuine enough. Grim wasn't lying either, he had many tales he could tell on the drop of a hat, no pun intended. Some funny, some epic, some sad. He merely gave her a slight bow, with a grin. "Sure, and they'll be free of charge this time. He punctuated the statement with a wink as he continued to hum down the road."


Grim did not expect to see the bundle of joy that brushed up against his leg. He threw caution to the wind...actually more accurately, he threw his cookies into the wind and placed his hat back on his head as he began chasing Blue around in a playful manner. He was genuinely enamored. "AWWWW HE'S SO FRIGGIN PRECIOUS!"

SilverFlight Flutterby Baconhands Goonfire

 

[Goonfire]

Without missing a beat, Ivarr maneuvered his flexible body and caught the cookie in his mouth. "Mmf! Fif if 'ood," he muffled out before finally bracing it with his hand and biting the treat in two. After chewing and swallowing the mouthful, he cracked up laughing. “Oh hon, I doubt I’d end up a fabulous corpse. I may be a merchant, but I still have other tricks up my sleeve. I can party with the best of them!”

Actually, he had to reconsider that statement. “I shall correct myself there; I can party with the best of them, unless ‘the best of them’ happens to be an eldritch horror in red robes.” He assumed Kadri let slip a hint regarding the nature of that woman. His flagrant suspicions bled through an outwardly-friendly gaze as he stared directly at the girl.

“I wanna pet her,” Rollo admitted in regards to Arwen. He stuck out his finger to pet the rodent(?) though as his hand neared the ground, the grass began to visibly grow. “Oops...” he realized his mistake and concentrated on stopping his powers from running wild.

Baconhands Flutterby