Fantasy World of Gea: The Greatest Adventure [IC] [CLOSED]

[Zillamaster55]

Anija gave Kastalli a warm smile, but her eyes betrayed a sense of longing. A pang of homesickness struck Anija, an unusual feeling for her, but perhaps this Kastalli provided too clear a reminder. “My dearest Kastalli, my countryman” she began “If only I knew. My father was a wandering shaman, and my mother followed him wherever he went.” She then swiftly wrapped her thin arms around Kastalli and embraced her. “Oh but to see one so familiar so far from home! Truly this journey is blessed!”

Letting go of Kastalli, Anija turned her attention to Ziggy. “Have you made any progress on the leaf?” she asked eagerly. “I must see!”

 

[Elenion Aura]

Calocis leered acidly at the Druid as she took her leave of them. He cared little for her ilk, or her order of faithless woodland sprites. And despite the fact that the sign of Nyarlaexedum had marked her chosen—as it had the others—Cal felt no need to mask his disdain. As she departed, Calocis could feel a knot of tension leaving his shoulders. Unfortunately, there were still plenty of knots left to untangle. And, as if on cue, another had just arrived. The dark elf thought little of his surface-dwelling cousins. Of the more distant half-cousins, even less. And yet he'd seen this one in action. If nothing else, he was useful. Whether his uses extended beyond base brutality and ham-handed attempts at magic, for Cal at least, remained to be seen.

"New recruits? well fortunately our employers always seem quite eager on taking new members in, my name is Syllannan Marley, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance"

“Eager to a fault, perhaps.” Cal once more offered his opinion without anyone having asked for it. He shot Syll an inscrutable look before he went on and introduced himself to their new members in turn, “You may call me Calocis… If you must.” It still felt strange to offer his name to strangers so freely. His short time on the surface had apparently already done wonders to erode his good sense and judgment. Still, there was the matter of these new companions. Most of them concerned Calocis not at all. Though this new one. This Witch of the Wilds... She irked him. The darkness belonged alone to the Dark One. Her paultry false idols would wither, and fade. In time. Or through conquest. Whichever came first.

He was about to spark a religious debate—zealot to zealot—when a familiar sight caught the words in his throat. Kastalli appeared and reminded Calocis at once of the first time he saw her. She was looking well. Better than she had then, anyhow. He hadn't spoken to her since. Not that he could recall. Though... Maybe... One day... They would speak again. Perhaps. In any case, he could not rightly chastise Anija for her heresy, now. Not with Kastalli wrapped up in her... Doubtless they would bond over the frozen patch of ice they both called home. Fine then.

 

[Anne Boolean]

"Oh..." Ziggy's ears flopped down as Gawain described the way in which he lost his face. "I'm sorry... that doesn't sound fun..." He seemed to perk right back up moments later though and added, "but when I become a skilled enough mage, I'll make sure to heal you!" The idea of which once again had his tail wagging. The next story Gawain told was somewhat sad as well. "Oh... well, I hope being a skull made them happier!"

Even with Gsera's reassurances, the half-cobold took no offense to Gawain's words. He was a little too dense to pick up the insulting tone. Still, he was amused by the woman's words and the bickering that happened between her, Gawain, and Cal.

A familiar voice pulled him away from them though, and his eyes fell on his teacher. "Oh, about that..." he gave a sheepish smile. "I was practicing, and the first time nothing happened. I tried again, and the second time it started on fire! The third time it exploded, and the fourth time it just... disappeared. I was hoping to get it to levitate the fifth time but... then I got distracted by all the singing and dancing... I promise I'll get back to practicing as soon as possible though!" He gave a sincere smile.

Interactions: Gsera ( joshuadim ), Gawain ( Dmaster ), Calocis ( Elenion Aura ), Anija ( Zillamaster55 )

 

[Zillamaster55]

"Disappeared!?" Anija shouted, her eyes widening with excitement. "You made it disappear!?"

She began to rummage around in her satchel, looking for something to write with or take notes. After several frantic seconds, she gave up the search, but her excitement was unabated.

"You must show me! Spontaneous ignition well of course that sort of thing just happens but...to make it disappear..." she trailed off, rubbing her chin as her mind began to swirl with possible incantations, spells or potions that could mimic those results.

She tried her best not to let her excitement completely overwhelm her, but couldn't contain the huge smile that had spread across her face.

"Are they speaking to him, too?" She wondered to herself.

 

[Dmaster]

Gawain's jaw unhinged yet again as he was told by the half-cubold that he would aim to restore his face once he became skilled enough. Even if the wizard was immortal at this point, he had a feeling that he would not be seeing such a prospect come to fruition in his lifetime. "That won't be necessary." was all he could manage to reply, those being the nicest possible words he could say to the boy at this point.

The situation became all the more curious when this pale woman started to excitedly buffet the indecent fellow with several questions, apparently encouraging these wild ideas of him being a suitable practitioner of the magical arts. That or she was just doing a case study on letting a fool do with their mana as they please with as little direction as possible. Gawain was inclined to believe that there was more merit in the latter than the former.

"A sudden disappearing act could be anything from teleportation to absolute obliteration. Whatever notes you are working to write aren't going to be sufficient if you weren't there to see it yourself." he begins with a clack of his exposed teeth. "Really when you are just throwing mana at an object there are a great number of potential outcomes due to the chaotic nature and - horribly inadvisable - procedure of such a thing. I am speaking of factors so minute that the weather and time of day could play a part in the results."

"Of course, if the enthusiastic... prodigy here is following a written spell to actually focus the mana, that would be a different story." Gawain added, turning his head to the witch as those sockets stared blankly at her with a telling pause. "He... has been trying to read a spell, has he not?"

 

[Roda the Red]

She gave a small curtsy, and locked her eyes with his. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest, and she could feel a rush of heat in her cheeks as she tensely waited for his response.

Without another word, Syll bowed slightly in response. Such a well mannered gesture was a rare sight among the adventurers and mercenaries the half-elf had to interact with on a daily basis, although not like he judged them either.

“Eager to a fault, perhaps...You may call me Calocis… If you must.”

Calocis, that shady priest gave Syll the most unpleasant of looks and he didn't seem to have the least of intentions on hiding it, and this wasn't the first time. That goes for the gathering at the inn several days ago, and from then on, Cal would not stop looking down on others from time to time...that...condescending PRICK. It was bad enough already that he worshipped an evil deity, even if it was not in the same way as those corrupted cultists. Truth is that Syll had decided to respect him because he saved his belov- his dear friend Kastalli, but alas, his patience with the dark elf's attitude was wearing thin.

"Calocis, i'm afraid that if you welcome people like that, they may not feel like they belong, and we don't want that since this company is built upon trust and companionship" Said Syll while keeping an evidently forced smile.

 

[Zillamaster55]

Anija straightened herself up and huffed. "Well, greetings to you too, traveler!" she retorted. "If you're using your mana only in the most restricted and...academic ways...how could you expect there to be any true progress!" She placed her hands on her hips and tried to look as confident as possible, while in reality her entire body was screaming at her to bolt at the site of the undead wizard.

Despite all her confidence and bluster, Gawain was right. She hadn't given Ziggy a proper spell. Other than repeating the incantations several times, and giving an example of levitation magic, Anija had left Ziggy woefully unprepared.

"And regardless! Even if he wasn't granted a spell, shouldn't such an exploratory mind be given the chance to dabble in these arts?" she jerkily pointed to herself with her thumb "Much like myself! The spirits came to me in dreams, to not only guide me here, but to encourage me on my magical journeys as well!"

Waving her hands and muttering quietly to herself, several leaves around her began to stir. Soon, they fluttered about, as if carried by a light breeze. Slowly but surely, the leaves rose, forming rings around her in fanciful patterns, flipping and swirling about in a silent windstorm. Looking arrogantly at Gawain, Anija allowed the leaves to hang dead still in the air before finally dropping to the ground to lay as dead as before.

"And such magic? Not brought to me by scholars or learned magic men, but the spirits of the darkest magics themselves!" Anija proclaimed proudly, smiling brazenly and crossing her arms in smug triumph.

(Interactions: Gawain - Dmaster )

 

[Elenion Aura]

"Calocis, I'm afraid that if you welcome people like that, they may not feel like they belong, and we don't want that since this company is built upon trust and companionship."

Calocis recoiled as if he had been struck.

The new recruits, forgotten. Their presence suddenly rendered extraneous.

His brow knit itself together above narrowing eyes, firstly in surprise—these had been the first words that Syll the Half-Elf had spoken to him in days, and he'd even said Cal's name aloud. Despite any attempts at subtlety, Cal knew Syll didn't like him... Suddenly Calocis wished he'd given this party a pseudonym by which to call him; better to answer to an unfamiliar name than hear his true one spoken by wagging, heretical tongues. Then his mind began to work, identifying the worst possible reasons behind this sudden chastisement, and promptly accepted them as the truth.

Cal would not let this go lightly. Nay. He would answer this for what it was: a challenge. A threat. An attempt to brow-beat him into submission. Into communion with this rout, this Company. The bitter irony of it all was that, up until then, Cal thought he was already being welcoming and benevolent. To lower himself any further before these interlopers would have been shameful. Though... Shame was apparently one resource that was in scarce supply here.

And yet it was still not enough?

Cal smiled back at the fair-skinned, freckled Elfling, though it was in clear mockery of his own forced-genial expression... Made even more evident by the words the Dark Elf spoke next. His eyes glinted with wicked, poisonous contempt.

“Shall I bow? Forgive me for not being so eager as you to prostrate myself afore strangers.”

 

[Roda the Red]

Having lived most of his life in an Inn, Syll had developed a knack for dealing with a wide array of unpleseant guests and customers: from brutish drunkards who didn't know their place, to loud and disrespectful folks who would wear down their throats complaining about the most insignificant of things. But if there was a type of person that would really strike a nerve on the Hobbalfar, it was the smug types that would look down on others and speak sarcastically. So naturally Calocis' words were like a needle scratching glass in his ears, but no, Syll would not break by comments from the likes of him.

"oh nonsense, my dear friend, you musn't do such things! it is just that Alberto and Cecilia's oh so excessive eagerness is just the reason you joined us as well, so maybe a bit of humility and empathy could go a long way to make our new recruits feel more welcomed! although i apogolize if such concepts are foreign to you" Syll managed to keep his fake smile, although the faint sound of teeth clenching could be heard from him.

 

[Anne Boolean]

The reaction from Anija only made his tail wagging even wilder, to the point where his rear was shaking along with the motion. "Yeah! It was super unexpected! I was saying the incantations as you said and then it was just gone! It did reappear a short distance nearby though. There was a small breeze that came by, and it brought the smell of something sweet on it! I sniffed the air trying to find out where it came from, and when I turned my head, I saw the leaf again!"

He had an amused smirk on his face as he took a look at everyone who had gathered. "I know what everyone is thinking: it was just a different leaf. But it wasn't! I made sure to mark the leaf I was practicing on with some ink. And the leaf that I saw had the same mark!" The half-cobold gave a proud grin.

His tail slowed and eventually stopped at the conflict that was arising between Gawain and Anija. He listened to the exchange with lowered ears and a concerned expression, unhappy to see two of his friends fight. "She did give me a spell," he assured. "Let's see, it was..." He recited the chant, though messing up the pronunciation for certain syllables. Unlike with Anija, none of the leaves around them moved an inch.

Interactions: Gawain ( Dmaster ), Anija ( Zillamaster55 )

 

[Dmaster]

Gawain shuffled on his feet as he looked between both Ziggy and Anija gave their pieces, the skull-faced mage unable to convey the aghast confusion these replies were granting him. The parlor trick the witch began to do wasn't exactly very impressive to Gawain. Soon his arms crossed over his chest as the witch tried to justify how her methods were superior to countless years of magical advancement, earning a sigh from the wizard.

"I assure you madam that mana has been around for many years and even more years before that. What you and the boy are doing is not pioneering, and I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you that." the wizard stated. "Early peoples with barely any understanding of magic exploded themselves, teleported to different areas or worlds, combusted, whatever fantastical thing you can think of. From it written understanding and effective methods to channel and control it were made; spells and runes."

"An incantation is better than nothing, yes, but if one does not grasp the pronunciation and technique -" he stopped once Ziggy began to give his best attempt at the incantation, once again unable to wince due to lack of facial features as he got several parts of it wrong. Fortunately, the magic fizzled out or was not visibly effective. "... Incantations from dark spirits, hm. So these spectral benefactors are who you have to thank for being able to move leaves so well?"

 

[Beann]

Much to Kastalli's disappointment, Anija did not know from which region of Skæg she was from. That was certainly unusual, did they not frequent a particular region? Even so, a wandering shaman was not ideal in her homeland. Her late husband was a wandering ninja and he had learned very quickly that Skæglins did not take a liking to anything wandering. Perhaps this woman could go a bit more in depth about her experience in Skæg but it appeared it would have to wait for another time as she turned her attention to Ziggy. Kastalli's own attention turned to Syllannan who had been close to her side most of the time. She tilted her head curiously as she found him speaking to Calocis, offering the dark elf a smile. Wait, that didn't appear to be Syllannan's natural smile, she would know! She had witnessed such a radiant smile several times before. Her ears twitched as she tuned in to their conversation, a bit confused with both the tone and context of it.

"Syllannan, do not forget Calocis' kindness in saving me." Kastalli finally spoke up as she approached the two, placing a gentle hand on the half elf's shoulder. "Alberto and Cécilia are not the only reason he was welcomed to join." She offered her friend a smile and squeezed his shoulder gently in encouragement before turning to Calocis. "I believe Syllannan is trying to encourage you to be more approachable, Calocis. Otherwise, how would anyone know when it is an appropriate time to speak with you? I, for one, would love to speak with you and hear about your faith - should you spare me the time in the future." With that, she brushed her tail against Syllannan's arm as she waved goodbye to the two of them before walking off to interact with the other newcomers.

Notably, were the three bards that were accompanying Sentry. She already had Devereaux and Abasi, but having more musically inclined friends wouldn't hurt. Approaching the three women, she gave them a friendly smile. "Greetings! I am Kastalli. It is a pleasure to meet more fellow bards. My choice of instrument is my bell here," she gestured to the silver bell tied to her waist, giving it a gentle chime.

 

[Breadman]

The trio each turned their attention to Kastalli. All of them bowing their heads as they introduced themselves.

"Olga."
"Volga."
"Holga."

Waylond turned his head as he prepared for another series of rhymes to come forth.

"A bell? A specialist's instrument with strong potential."
"To raise hel and to alert, it is essential."
"Be it made from metal or clamshell, it's properties are evidential."

The bards nodded among themselves with enthusiasm as they observed Kastalli's bell. They seemed really enthusiastic to be in company with another musician.

"As for us, our instruments of choice are a bit generic I'm afraid."
"Though how they work is a magic trick of the trade."

Olga and Volga said their piece, leaving Holga to demonstrate. She held what appeared to be a wand in her hand. She shook the magical instrument once and then twice and Kastalli would be forgiven if she thought this was a slight of hand as the wand turned into a lute in the bard's hands.

"Magic can be a wonderful thing."
"Alas, compared to the real deal, they don't sound like nothing."
"Its is why for us to inspire and heal, it is preferred to sing."

 

[FloweryMuffin]

Korzhev watched with glee as his pot slowly and surely emptied. He had been quite content to look at his fellow company, whom he almost considered a second family, enjoy a brief peaceful moment that he had created. For also but a moment, he felt quite like he thought an old man should: grateful, for little things, for meaningless things that in his eyes gained so much more weight than words of gratitude could express. And then the image of his friends was plastered into the back of his mind, right next to a long chronology of many others, of other days and places. The small crowd disperses once the tea is done and he stands to put everything away. It’s over but commotion always starts somewhere.

He’ll find out once he is through with his tasks: put the pot away, clean up the makeshift fireplace, restock on some common herbs. Korzhev does everything slowly, diligently. He too smelled the caravans before he saw them. They brought strange people, new people, from places still unknown to him. He thinks them the source of a future commotion, so he slowly prepares to walk towards them, herbs now carefully tucked away in their respective pouches. The frogman didn’t have to wonder for long what the slew of caravans brought:

His fellows were already by their side, introducing them to everybody else. He moved closer to peer at the new faces: a little lady, standing to his eye-level. A second lady, with long white hair-hmm, a rather intriguing colour- explaining something regarding a small leaf to a young man, a boy? He should like to know more about this leaf business…Gawain’s appearance only served to make him more even more intrigued by the situation. So, he scooted closer towards the two of them. In a moment he was right next to them, having seemed like he’d sprouted from the ground right there.

“Oh my, it is rather rare to see you get so worked up about trivial things, mister Gawain!” he looked a little more closely to the strange boy and his leaf. Something clicked eventually that he was attempting to cast some sort of magic on the unfortunate thing. “Ah, I believe I understand what this is all about: oh but, worry not mister, for the poor lad is far too oblivious to elicit a sudden explosion from but an incantation, is he not? Ah, even more to your dismay sir, what the right is to a spell concerns the caster themselves, does it not? It is not quite the way to a lady’s heart to insult her practice!” with that, he’d finally turned to the white haired woman, to address her as well,

“I believe I had a debt of a few greetings. I am Korzhev! I should say do not take mister Gawain’s remarks to heart. He is, as yourself, and me! Quite fond of the magical arts.”

 

[Elenion Aura]

Calocis narrowed his eyes. Any narrower and he would no longer be able to see the snide, sneering infidel before him. His mouth cut a thin, razor-straight line across his face.

Blessed Darkness, grant me patience.

He would not allow this dull, ignorant creature to bait him. But neither would he be spoken down to. He was an emissary of the Great Old One, Darkfather. He was Calocis Fellshade, Scion of the Faithful. And who was this that stood before him? No one. Nothing.

“Friends, are we..?” Calocis spoke in a low voice, his arms disappearing into the folds of his robe. Perhaps it was fitting. After all, he had killed his friends before. Who’s to say he couldn’t do it again? Only… On this day he wouldn’t get the chance to find out.

Kastalli—how long had she been listening?—approached and placed a hand on Syll’s shoulder. The act perplexed him, though he didn’t know why. Cal had precious little time to ponder it, however, because she was addressing him now. Her words were honeyed, and he struggled to find any hint of lie in her kind, gentle eyes.

“I-… As you wish.”

He shrugged and looked away. His arms fell back to his sides, and by the time she moved on, Cal no longer felt quite as much like he would do something rash. At least not today.

 

[Roda the Red]

Why would you want to listen about his Faith!? Nyarlaexedum is a vile fiend and-

Kastalli's words shocked Syll slightly...but she was right, eventuall those same words managed to bring Syll back into reality, his mind was clouded by negative thoughts directed to Calocis, but he still shouldn't forget that the dark elf not only saved Kastalli, but also proved himself plenty useful when dealing with the cultists. Whether Syll liked it or not, Calocis was indeed a company member that rightfully earned his place.

"...you are right, perhaps i came off a bit too strongly just now, and that was not my intention" Syll waved back at Kastalli as she left the two elves by themselves. Shortly after Syll looked back at Calocis.

"...now that i think about it, i should probably thank you...for saving my friend that night, it was very noble of you to do something selfless like that"

Without uttering another word he just walked away, truth is that he couldn't truly trust Calocis just yet, his resentment towards Nyarlaexedum was too deep to just brush off like that, but he was at least willing to attempt to make peace with the dark elf.

As he turned around to the rest of the folks gathered around, he noticed that the half ork and the hob-like lady were mostly keeping to themselves, they probably needed a little push, as Syll could imagine that the company's caravan was certainly bigger, and hence more overwhelming, than most.

"Hello again!" he said as he approached the two of them

"i'm afraid i could not catch your names earlier, but i just wanted to tell you that if you need any help getting accustomed here, i'd be happy to help, some may not look like it but everyone is very friendly and cooperative here...for the most part at least"

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"No, I don't think you'll be doing such a thing. Abasi is with me, you see. As are the rest of the members of the company I travel with. And thus, to get to them, you go through me. And there's a problem with that, as I'm sure you realize."

"Harming me likely would upset my mother. Which, in turn, would likely upset the Baroness. Now, you wouldn't want to do that, would you? I'm sure your lady would be QUITE displeased. Perhaps displeased enough to hurt you? Or have someone hurt you. Or even kill you! I know how vampyr royalty works, Radoš. Tit. For. Tat."

The once large, playful grin that Radoš possessed shifted into a serious glare. His eyes didn't glow yet any semblance of humanity or life that were in them had simply vanished. It was clear that the vampyr was deeply offended. "Well then, I see someone is a bit... confused?" said Radoš, his tone devoid of any mood. "Hurt me... kill me? ...you confuse my relationship with the Baroness... my good boy..." He said, his lifeless eyes looking straight into Devereaux's eyes. "and frankly, I do not appreciate the assumptions of a lowborn fledgling... I am a servant by my own choice, but the baroness, as powerful as she might be in her realm, has no control over my life." His eyes looked towards the general direction of where Abasi was located. "...I escaped the Kingdom of Arbejia with my life intact despite making powerful enemies... do you know what that means, little fledgling? Not many survive the wrath of the Great Vampyr Houses."

"...Do you wish to see why, my dear Devereaux?" Devereaux watched in slight surprise as Radoš dislocated his jaw, revealing hundreds of teeth all around his mouth like a leech. It was at this moment that the jester realized he wasn't dealing with a fellow Nachzehrer, those whose powers are influenced by the Bat. No, Radoš was a Bezkost, relentless and deadly vampyrs influenced by the Leech. Such a sight would scare any man, but Devy stood there, a bit unnerved but not intimidated by this display. Radoš' teeth then retracted, his face a mere inches away from Devereaux. "I don't take kindly to be disrespected and even less being told what I can or cannot do by a fledgling. If I want to... I'll feed on your companions when you least expect it." he said, still devoid of emotion. "...And after I feed on them... I'll suck you dry."

Only desperate Vampyrs would drink the blood of another Vampyr, even the Kishi, known for feasting on rotting flesh, found the act of drinking a Vampyr's blood revolting. But this wasn't the case of the Bezkost, who seemed to enjoy drinking the blood of their fellow Vampyrs. But just as Radoš finished his sentence, a curious Abasi finally turns around the corner and notices Devy speaking with the strangers, the half-Basteti decides it'd be best to not interfere and watch from a distance. Unaware that Radoš was well aware of his presence. "Frankly, I want to kill you, but I am not stupid... my Hob employees told me that you killed several people a few days ago, cultists of the shadow god, and I've seen great Vampyrs die at the hands of fledglings like yourself. I'll not tempt the mistress of fate, but whatever fascination I had for you is gone now." Radoš looked at the corner Abasi was hiding behind, smiling slightly before turning his attention to the Hob thug next to Devereaux. "We are leaving, we have to speak with the Baroness." He said, the Hob thug didn't say anything in return and simply walked ahead. But when the vampyr made a step to leave, he stops for a moment. "...You might reject your mother now, but you'll soon realize you are not different from any other Vampyr out there, you'll feed... your power will grow, and then you'll realize how stupid it is to consider this blessing a curse." Without anything else to say, the Bezkost vampyr walked away.

Abasi watched as the strange man and his Hob lackey walked away from Devereaux, leaving the harlequin on his own in the middle of the alleyway.

 

[Infab]

As soon as he was sure that Radoš and his short compatriot were gone, Devereaux shook his head and quietly muttered a few words to himself. "Devy, you poor soul." he said, following it with a gentle chuckle. Truthfully, his comments had been a large bluff. He didn't know much regarding the vampyr houses save for things he had heard second hand, and he could only guess as to how the Baroness and her associates interacted. And of course, that ugly Bezkost bastard reacted in kind. Really, it seemed he had struck a nerve.

And he had potentially made a new enemy. One that threatened both himself and the company.

But at least the slaughter of that demon, the imps, and cultists the other night had provided Devereaux a bit of leverage. He'd simply have to make sure the company stayed on their toes. Leeches could be snuffed out just like any other blood sucking creature. But first, Devereaux had to make sure the others knew exactly what he himself was. That was the tricky part.

He sighed, before turning to face the open end of the alley. And he soon noticed Abasi's presence. Hard to mistake it, really, as the half-Basteti stood out literally anywhere thanks to his light hair, lovely tanned skin, and scantily clad form. How long had he standing there? Did he hear any of their conversation? "Dearest Abasi! Good morning!" said Devereaux, strolling cheerfully towards him. "...How long have you been standing there?"

​

"I'm afraid I could not catch your names earlier, but I just wanted to tell you that if you need any help getting accustomed here, I'd be happy to help. Some may not look like it, but everyone is very friendly and cooperative here...for the most part, at least"​

The half-ork nodded, having simply been observing the conversations and such that had been going on before her. "I'm sure." she said in response, eyeing Cal and Gawain, before directing her attention to Syll. "My name is Katarrik. I am Orkey. You may call me Kat, however, if you so wish. Most do so."

She then glanced back go the caravan. "I shall retrieve my things." she soon said, tapping the butt of her halberd against the ground before strolling away. Heading towards one of the wagons.

Malthara, whom had been observing Ziggy and Anija, remained silent regarding Gawain and his statements. She herself had experimented blindly when it came to magic. For some, it was a way to genuinely improve their abilities when lacking a formal method of learning. For others, working with a formal system may be rather infuriating. Limitations and boundaries, being talked down to by those that believe you should follow their ways and no one else's. But experimentation required caution. Much could go wrong without applying proper focus, or taking the needed precautions to ensure safety.

Malthara herself knew all too well what could go wrong when practicing magic in such a manner. And she had lost far too much to do it again.

Then, their resident frog compatriot joined in the discussion. Korzhev had a much kinder approach to Ziggy's antics than Gawain. A bit refreshing, honestly. Soon, Malthara herself spoke. "You should work on the pronunciation of the incantation. Speaking the words correctly is as important as applying the proper focus. Improper pronunciation can lead to confusing results, or the spell not working at all." she said politely, stepping over. "As for your work with the leaf, keep at it. Experiment. But make sure to take precautions. A slip up could lead to disaster as you improve your abilities. I know first hand of how wrong things can go."

She then held out her hand, palm up, and gently exhaled a breath into it. Slowly, a ball of fire formed in it, levitating just inches from her palm. She then lowered her hand, the ball remaining in place as her arm returned to her side beneath her cloak. "You can learn to do some wondrous things with proper practice and experimentation." she said softly, as the ball hovered in place. Then, it started to drift around her in a slow orbit, dividing up into several balls of fire spaced evenly. Some even changed color, turning blue or green. And moments later, with a gentle wave of her hand beneath her cloak, the balls of fire stopped and vanished.

"My name is Malthara, by the way. I am a sorceress." she said, smiling as she looked between Ziggy and Anija.

 

[Woffy]

Abasi had a concerned look on his face...that man no he didnt like him...yet his scent was similar to devy's but....wrong , twisted , abasi found himself instinctively ready to pounce on the man if he made any move to hurt his friend, no he definitely did not like him when he finnaly left he moved to meet devy, his eyes looking straigh at the mask's eyes

"...How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough...that man mentioned things that...that i dont fully understand but some i do...vampyr ?" abasi said worried while he was not an expert by any means traveling so much vising countless inns he had herd the rumors or legends about the blood sucking beeings...yet he found he was not worried for himself...but more for devy...was he in danger ? in pain ?...this would explain his constant disappearances
"Devy is there...anything you need to tell us....tell me ?" he said moving to put a hand on the jesters shoulder

 

[Infab]

"Long enough...That man mentioned things that...that I don't fully understand, but some I do...Vampyr?"

Devereaux paused as Abasi neared. Damn it. He had heard enough, it seemed. Well, at least this would be a trial run for what was to come with the others. Might as well embrace the opportunity. Steel yourself, Devereaux.

"Devy, is there...anything you need to tell us....Tell me?"

As Abasi reached out to place a hand on Devereaux's shoulder, Devy held up a hand to halt the half-Basteti. "...It is...probably best that I halt your friendly gestures for the moment. Allow me to explain." he said, before taking a breath. "...I haven't been exactly truthful with you over the past few days, as I've been withholding information about me from both you as well as the rest of the company. In time, I planned to tell you all, so that there would be no secrets between us...and it looks as though that time has swiftly arrived. Far sooner than I imagined."

He paused briefly, before continuing. "What you likely heard that man call me is correct. I am a vampyr, specifically of Nachzehrer lineage. Think bats, if there were an appropriate animal to associate it with. I have been a vampyr for over one hundred years...so I'm really one hundred and twenty-seven." he said, adding a faint chuckle at the end. He looked around them, at the walls of the alley, before motioning around with a hand as he spoke again. "The other day, when you found me alone in an alley much like this...it was because I had to get away from the others while surgery was being performed on Kastalli. The blood...the smell of it is a powerful thing to vampyrs. Especially fledglings, and those actively trying to avoid drinking blood on a regular basis. I had to leave the tavern and be alone in order to not...snap and attempt to feed on Kastalli. While alone, I drank one of these...and you found me while the effects were kicking in."

He then reached into the satchel hanging off his hip, and drew out a single vial of a red liquid. "...I purchase these from other vampyrs. Blood collected from the willing or recently deceased. And every week, I drink one. Its enough to last me until the next dose. And before you ask, no. I haven't fed from or collected any from the members of the company. I refuse to unless they willingly offer it. I will not become some mindless monster, feeding off friends and the innocent. I wear a mask constantly to better hide the visual changes when I'm hungry or using my vampyric powers to my advantage. And with my occupation...I'm given an excuse to constantly wear it as well." he explained, before slipping the vial back into his satchel.

"...That man you saw, he was also a vampyr. He was of the Bezkost lineage, comparable to leeches. He found me, and had been watching both me as well as you and the others. Supposedly he had been sent by Baroness Mariette Reverdin II to find me for my mother. If you recall, I mentioned before that my mother was no longer in the picture...in a sense, she isn't. My mother was the one that turned me into a vampyr. And ever since, I have avoided her every chance I get, but that hasn't stopped her from wishing for and seeking my return to her. She wishes for her family to be whole, and I wish for her to leave me be."

Devereaux paused again, looking at Abasi. "...I hope you can forgive me for withholding this. In the past, I've encountered people that have been outright hostile when they discovered what I was. Others have simply cast me out of their groups and circles. I must say, being on the bad end of a pitchfork or torch isn't the most enticing situation. But if you can't forgive me, or wish to distance yourself from me...I would understand completely."

 

[Woffy]

Devereaux paused again, looking at Abasi. "...I hope you can forgive me for withholding this. In the past, I've encountered people that have been outright hostile when they discovered what I was. Others have simply cast me out of their groups and circles. I must say, being on the pointy end of a pitchfork or torch isn't the most enticing situation. But if you can't forgive me, or wish to distance yourself from me...I would understand completely."

Abasi looked at Devereaux for a moment , taking all of the information in...some minutes passed in silence devy probably thinking abasi was giving him the silent treatment when suddenly he felt unable to stop abasi's embrace as the boy held him tight

"Distance myself ?...how could you suggest that ? you are my friend no matter what happend , no matter what you are...i know what it is to be on the run and...i will not tell the others until you are ready or until you wish to" he smiled "and you are not a monster...you just have..urges and about those i know...if you ever feel the need to...i will help you , ill be there for you to satiate them trust me"
"And if that man ever comes back and tries something...we will show them that unlike him you truly are not alone in this..."

 

[Infab]

The abrupt hug caught Devereaux off-guard, and he allowed himself to be hugged as Abasi spoke.

"Distance myself?...How could you suggest that? You are my friend, no matter what happened and no matter what you are...I know what it is like to be on the run, and...I will not tell the others until you are ready or until you wish to." He smiled. "And you are not a monster...You just have...urges, and about those I know...If you ever feel the need to...I will help you. I'll be there for you to satiate them, trust me."
"And if that man ever comes back and tries something...we will show them that, unlike him, you truly are not alone in this..."

"...I would never feed on you, Abasi. I don't want to burden someone else with what I was cursed with...but thank you." responded Devereaux softly, eventually returning the hug. "And yes. If that bastard returns, we'll be ready."

As he released him, he chuckled. "I actually intend to tell the others before we leave! Get it out of the way, of course, and see what the next course of action is." he said, waving a hand towards the end of the alleyway. "...And you really need to tell me what you're running from sometime, too. Its only fair, you know! Now, lets return to the others, shall we?"

And with that, he motioned for Abasi to follow as he strolled towards the opening of the alleyway. All the while, thinking on just what he would say to the others. It was guaranteed that some of the company wouldn't want to be in the presence of a vampyr. But they were also in the presence of a follower of Nyarlaexedum. They had just fought days ago a cult dedicated to the worship of that dark god. Devereaux wasn't a godly man, but he was quite sure most of the others were, and they still allowed the Dökkálfar to travel with them. Maybe they'd do the same with a vampyr?

 

[Vexumin]

"Hello again!" he said as he approached the two of them

"i'm afraid i could not catch your names earlier, but i just wanted to tell you that if you need any help getting accustomed here, i'd be happy to help, some may not look like it but everyone is very friendly and cooperative here...for the most part at least"

Nora had kept quiet for the most part, the sack of coin resting in her open palm, waiting for someone of the party before her to claim it as her payment for another ride. As she is spoken too though, her eyes widen a little. She looks Syll dead in the eyes as he began speaking. She half expected more cruel words, but when it was simply words of greeting, she breathed a relieved sigh. It has been a while since anyone had bothered to offer a normal greeting towards her. Nora shifted the covered blades slung over her back as she offers an elegant curtsy, raising the cloak slightly off her form.

"Greetings, I am Noradriia Besile. I am a half-gnome. I am simply traveling for the most part. Thank you for the warm welcome." Despite her more hidden and secretive attire, the woman carries herself in a very elegant manner, as if having come from a noble family. In truth, though she was given the last name of her mother, her master treated her not unlike a daughter. He taught her how to act properly even if she served as his bodyguard and assassin. Half of her training was in the art of bonding with the upper-class while the other half of her training was in cold blooded murder.

She offered Syll a smile, returning a kind gesture for a kind gesture, before she watched Kat move to gather her things. "I... suppose I should do the same, if I am being passed into your care. Excuse me." As she turned to walk off, the breeze caught under her cloak and caused her to shiver. She really needed to find her spare clothes. As she reached her caravan, she dug through goods before she reveals a chest. It was nearly her size and far more heavy. She lowered the back panel of the caravan and wrapped a hand around the handle bound to the chests side. She takes a few breaths before trying to pull with all her might. The chest slides out a bit, but there was no way she would be able to carry it on her own.

The chest was only one of a few things he had brought in the beginning. At first she was travelling via carriage, but after having lost that and a few goods to bandits, she had only what was most important to her kept in this one chest. A chest that she protected as if her very soul was bound within. As she opened it though, it is revealed that there was no such thing. Though there was plenty of coin piled to one side and clothes folded neatly on the other. She dug through the clothes before producing a clean hooded tunic and undergarments. She had enough of leather straps today.

Crawling into the caravan, she closed the back flaps before removing her cloak and getting undressed. She was eager to fit into more comfortable clothes.

Mentions: Infab
Interactions: Roda the Red

 

[Infab]

It wasn't long at all before Devereaux and Abasi had arrived back at the group's encampment outside the city. And both found that another caravan of people had arrived with several wagons. Devereaux could already smell the various spices as he approached, the scents usually giving away the Qurai and their caravans. He had traveled with them once or twice. A remarkable bunch of hardy travelers. Both Devereaux and Abasi also noticed the signs of a recent battle. What had happened here? Bandits?

As they neared where the apparent leader of the Qurai caravan was, speaking to Cécilia and Alberto, Devereaux also noticed the small cluster of non-Quari standing nearby, talking to some of the Company members. A half-Cobold, and a woman with pale skin, snow white hair, and red eyes. She bore a rather mystical look about her. Perhaps a practitioner of magic, like some of the others? But what really caught Devereaux's eye was the trio of women that Kastalli was now speaking to. Cambions. Children of mortals and demons.

And one had a flute in hand. Devereaux perked up quite quickly. Bards? It seemed as though there would eventually be a band among the company. He wondered if they sang as well, as he didn't see any other instruments on hand. Eventually, he shook his head. Focus, Devereaux. You've got things to do. He strolled quickly over to where Cécilia and Alberto were standing, and after politely greeting the Qurai leader, spoke to the pair. "Cécilia, Ser Alberto. There's something I need to discuss with you and the rest of the company. I've already informed Abasi, and I feel it best that you all know and make your own decisions. I'll try to keep it as brief as possible, as everyone has other things to do today." he said, his voice a bit less upbeat and cheerful than it normally was.

​

It wasn't long before Kat was making her way back to where the others were, carrying a lone leather pack slung over her shoulder. She paused, however, near the wagon in which Nora had climbed into. She recalled that the short one had brought some sort of trunk with her on their journey. A truck that seemed awful large and heavy. She gazed at the wagon's closed cloth flaps, before stepping over and speaking through the flaps at the occupant inside. "Nora, if you need help with your trunk, I can carry it for you." she stated. It was about time she got to know the others she was traveling with. Besides Ziggy, of course.

As she waited for a response, she looked back towards where their new traveling companions were, and spotted an oh so familiar sight. A man in a harlequin costume. A very specific costume at that, with a very specific mask. Very specific things that she knew well. And she knew just who was beneath that costume and mask too. A grin slowly inched across Kat's face.

Interactions: Vexumin EdwardDewey98

 

[Anne Boolean]

The half-cobold turned his attention to the newcomer when he addressed Gawain. "Yes! I did obviously make a leaf explicitly explode!" he responded with a wagging tail, clearly having misunderstood the words 'oblivious' and 'elicit.' He had a smile on his face when the frogman introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you! I'm Ziggy! My master is..." he repeated his long-winded introduction. "Yeah! Us magicians should stick together!

"I have to say, I'm so glad I left home to learn magic! The people I've met while traveling are so much nicer than the royal mages. They would always just say, 'Ziggy, you're too stupid to even cast the most basic spells," but the truth was, I just needed a good teacher!" He gave a grin to Anija. "I bet they'd be the ones feeling stupid now, knowing that I'm able to make leaves disappear!"

His ears perked up as yet another woman approached the group. She gave some advice to him, which he responded to with an eager nod. "When I was trying to practice and first heard some of the Qu'rai singing, I thought maybe making it into a song with a catchy tune would make it easy to remember. I tried that and used the melody of what they were singing, but I just ended up starting to sing along with them." He gave a sheepish chuckle.

The half-cobold's eyes widened when the woman conjured a fireball and performed a trick with it. Despite the short duration, Ziggy was still impressed upon seeing them move as well as change colors. "Whooooaaaaa!" he expressed in awe. "That's really cool! Maybe sometime in the future you can teach me how to do it too!"

"Nice to meet you!" he said when the woman introduced herself. "My name's Ziggy!" He proceeded to give his long-winded introduction for a third time that day.

Interactions: Korzhev ( FloweryMuffin ), Malthara ( Infab )
Nearby: Gawain ( Dmaster ), Anija ( Zillamaster55 )