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

[joshuadim]

It had been a long week of traveling, with many events both great and small having occurred, and by this point Gsera was tired like the others after so much traveling without much rest outside of the settlements they had stayed in. So when they were allowed to rest, Gsera could only let out a sigh of relief as she went over to an empty patch of grass and planted herself face first into its warm blades. It was almost like a soft, warm bed as she turned over onto her back and grinned with closed eyes. "Ah, finally! This is so nice..." She said to no one in particular, almost beginning to doze off. However, within earshot she caught the news of spiders being around to which the ddraig quickly jerked her head up and looked around.

Through her eagerness to get some rest she had failed to notice that there were indeed spider webs clogging the treeline nearby, crawling with the large arachnids that immediately put her on edge as she got up from her resting spot and backed away slowly back towards the road. While they were creatures of the wilds, she wasn't particularly fond of them as she was with others given their nature... as well as appearance. So many legs... and eyes... and those fangs... just thinking about them sent a shiver down her spine from anxiety. Gsera approached Kastalli, nervously rubbing her hands together as she kept her eyes on the trees.

"...I don't like this." she muttered to her friend, "Why are there so many?"

Beann

 

[Breadman]

C'mon big girl, you too.

"Aren't you a important one all of a sudden." Sentry joked as she picked up the pace. The way ahead of them was going to be long and dangerous. Meanwhile Pot rushed over to help Alberto with his armor as Waylond had prepared his own. The bardic trio were at the back preparing their instruments for the march. Volga looked over her shoulder in the hopes she'd catch the familiar sight of the jester. Even after a turbulent event, his music would be an excellent addition. Even so, they would have to play something for the company on their long journey.

Day 1

Sentry gave the returning fighters a look of concern as they recounted their faithful meeting with the creature of the forest. Not out of concern for the company, rather because the esteemed warriors that were very boastful recently are now sweating, shitting and pissing themselves. She looked over to Waylond who maintained a neutral expression while he listened to Syll and the other strong-willed men explain the situation. They were lucky that Gsera could talk with the wild.

The evening spend in Riverham would be fine for most of the company except for a chosen few. The odd looks gathered by the locals didn't upset the triplets, but would just offer an audience for their music.

Day 2

"Surprised that this sort of thing didn't happen sooner or that you were spared an incident before our joining." Waylond spoke to Sentry on the evening in Meadowshire.

"We had another group of peasants try a crack at us. Didn't go so well for them then." She recounted the event at the start of their journey. The mood was melancholy as the man's death could have been easily avoided.

"Well can't say I'm used to it."

"No?"

"Knights, the decent ones at least, we aren't enemies of the people." He looked at his drink "Of course there are plenty of us that carry themselves like a bully in plate armor."

"You sound offended by the very idea, Swifty."

"You take up a title and it comes with oaths, rules and obligations. You can't just throw them away."

"You metal men do have some serious rules, I hear. Pot did talk about those with me now that I think about it." She placed a finger under her chin "He was talking about your exploits. Isn't there something about a chosen lady?"

"Oh dear me." Waylond suddenly stood up "Its been a long day and very heavy on our hearts. I'll be retiring now. Have a good night my lady."

The sudden reaction left her completely silent for several moments as she tracked his movement before disappearing from sight. Sentry then shrugged. Men and their codes-a complicated thing. The barbarian would finish the night drinking her wine and listen to the bards play their sorrows out for the fallen.

Day 3

"Give him a wide berth lads!" Sentry shouted as her opponent's legs gave out and he fell to the ground. "Another terrible foe down!" The other fighters cheered as two helped their comrade. "Who's next?" The barbarian looked around as it seemed that the men were too intimidated to approach. But among the women, it was a different story. Holga approached the barbarian, flanked by her sisters, with a certain grace that the bards carried themselves with. "Well this is a surprise." Sentry said as she rested her hand on her hip. "Didn't think you were the type to get yourself doused."

"She may not look the part."
"But Holga can drink most straight off the cart."

"Well then." Sentry dipped the horn in the cask and passed it to the bard. "Let's see just how strong you are."

As the two women clashed on the mead soaked field, the other two bards played songs of revelry into the night. Soon the cask would near its bottom and the two would hold their ground still. Those who were sober and watching would do so with baited breath as they drank more and more until finally...it ended in a draw as both of them collapsed to the ground.

No matter how hard some would argue their semantics, it was a rather anti-climactic finish to the whole affair.

Day 4

While the monsters clashed with each other, the only thing Sentry could think about was the monstrous hangover she was nursing the following day. Holga's was probably worse. The language barrier between them and the guards in town only made it worse. There's more languages to know? She barely got along with the one she learned recently. The barbarian didn't emerge from the inn until her mind wasn't pulsating out of her skull.

Waylond in the meantime was inquiring to learn specific phrases from Syll. Mostly female related. Pot could only look on and try to hide his disapproval.

Day 5

Save from the encounter with the salamander, the day passed them by with little incident. Good. They needed the short respite. While Sentry would have a hard time understanding the obsession some women have with those fabrics, the bards would open up their purses to pick through them. As for Waylond and Pot, it was business as usual.

Day 6

The first half of the day seemed like a calm prelude as it gave way to the woods and webbing. The presence of spiders is a given, but this didn't look like any regular construct the spiders would weave.

"Are we to push forward?" Sentry asked as she tried to see if there is any visible end to the nest "If so, we should be prepared for anything in there."

 

[Dmaster]

Though Gawain was very keen to assist with the studies and discoveries that he and the other scholars of the company encountered, he was still less than satiated when it came to his own arcane pursuits. When it came to the catacombs and even the small region affected by the maelstrom, he was passively searching for any link to the Watcher that he could come across. While it was true his undead form was somewhat impossible to fatigue, he instead dealt with the nagging sensation of wasted time and academic dead ends. He had to keep reminding himself that he had an exorbitant amount of time for his primary pursuit, and thus he would return his focus to the matter at hand time and time again.

It would appear that this time the matter at hand was a colony of overgrown spiders. "Fascinating," the skull-faced mage emitted as he tapped a knuckle to his bone chin. "A staggering amount of growth for such a diminutive species, there is possibly a font of unstable mana or a similar anomaly nearby. Or this change was spurned by the maelstrom itself, its effects persisting across generations of the colony." A half-hearted shrug of his shoulders.

"Perhaps if we venture in we might find the source in question, though I cannot help but ask: why are we doing this, exactly?" Gawain asked Alberto. "I mean no disrespect, Ser. Though we are equipped for the task and there is a modicum of information that can be gleaned from this small excursion, I don't think the merit to be worth the potential risks."

 

[Elenion Aura]

It was a curious thing, time. Not so much of it had yet passed that Cal forgot the damp, cool comfort of the Subterranean Kingdom. Though, enough time had been spent in close company with these infidels that he was no longer refusing their food, though he continued to ask Nyarlaexedum for grace in the face of His servant’s own faintness of heart. His travels across the land had begun to wear upon him like a river o’er a stone. And while Calocis felt no measure of guilt over the knight’s death at the hands of the peasant mob, neither did he understand why the Company continued to permit him to stay, to travel among them in spite of his own secrecy surrounding his agenda.

More confounding still were the looks he’d received when he suggested they repay the peasants’ blood debt with blood, and scrub their ilk from the land. Simple-minded surfacers.

At least he had been permitted to enjoy some respite from the harsh light of the sun, even at the cost of dispatching the odd necromantic scourge or another. The familiarity of the crypts had been a welcome reprieve from the turmoil that the world above had begun to spin up inside of his mind.


And now, today, as the sun beat against his exposed brow, Cal was met with even more memories.

"They are as they are because of the Quar'valsharess Elghinn."

Cal referred to the Sundering, the death of a god by its own followers’ hands, a byproduct of which was the miasma itself that permeated the area, transmuting otherwise mundane fauna into the horrors that laid now before them. There was a hint of disdain in his voice. While he would not condemn the fools responsible, for a dead god by any hand served his master just a well… The ramifications of such an act were… Far-reaching.

"I will approach the Orbb," the spider, "And take their measure. If there is a rothe nearby, then they dare not bedevil my passage"

Rothe, or underling, referred to the clans of corrupted mortals—the Bösench—who made their home in dark forests like the Düsterwald—and, perhaps, this one as well. They were known to subjugate and tame the roaming Orbb, and offered them as gifts of supplication to their Dökkálfar masters. As a Dökkálfar himself, Cal would be known to their eight-eyes as a friend… Even if the same could not be said for his traveling companions.

Though he had no proof that such a clan made home in this wood, Cal had already taken steps toward the webbed treeline.

 

[Vexumin]

Day one was kind of a doozy for Nora. She was a real big sleeper. She always wanted, if not needed some proper sleep. Only problem is that she usually has a difficult time staying asleep, so when morning came, she entered the day with a rather tired expression upon her face and dark rings around her eyes. Being told to rise up and get to work was somewhat of an irritation to the young halfbreed, but she supposed that if she was going to stay with this company, she'd have to do some work.

At the very least the morning was met with a good breakfast as well. Nora ate with a bit of sluggishness ultimately, but after her meal she was a bit more energized. She tended to keep more to the cart today. She didn't really feel that being about much would do anyone any good, so she helped with what she could on the wagon. Apparently though, a few of the people had encountered a creature that caused some trouble. At the very least the company was still on the move, so it couldn't have been too much trouble.

Day two rolled around, and this was a particularly stressful day. A town of folk offput by members of the company. However, this fear led to violence. Nora could remember the rock flying overhead and striking the fighter that had been walking along. What ensued could only be described as utter chaos. The thrown rock killed the man, and Nora herself could not help but react in anger as well. Fear makes people do dumb things, but this was beyond stupid. Her consciousness retreated to a very dark place as she wondered if anyone would miss this backwater village if it were to be burnt to the ground, but she did not take action.

She really wanted to start some chaos of her own, wondering if a few housefires might get the village folk off their backs, but she would not be doing any such thing. Didn't stop her from joining the fighters in drawing arms though, to protect the company.

Thankfully the company rolled on through with little other trouble, but what came after was just grief. Nora didn't know the man that had perished, but she hoped that some manner of afterlife awaited him. A good one, that is.

When the company rolled into the next village, she took a route different from the others, wandering with hood up, ready to take action should the same sort of situation occurred as yesterday, she was happy to find that no homes needed to be set ablaze this time around. In fact, these people were rather welcoming. It helped Nora find some relief at least.

The next day, being the third day of travel was interesting. At least, if became interesting once they found this strange structure. For the duration of this odd dungeon delving adventure, Nora kept at the back of the pack. Not only were there goblins to slay, undead to fight and even a giant spider, but her moment came when the strange superior undead emerged and summoned its wights. Nora hikes up the sleeves of her tunic as she draws her two blades.

Her weapons were rather unique for her. One of them was long, quite long, while the second blade was shorter. They were to allow her extra reach and for more accurate blows at close range. Though at the back of the pack, Nora leaps over the crew, accidentally stepping on the head of one of the fighters that had joined them. She swore to apologize for that later. The moment she made contact with the ground, she was off, ducking under swinging blades as she swings her own, razor sharp edges cutting through flesh and bone. When Nora fights, it is a whirlwind of steel and arches of crimson ichor, if frozen in time, it would be akin to art... a more brutal depiction of beauty perhaps.

Day four was a fright, creatures far beyond what Nora could take on her own. At the very least, one had dispatched the other and the company was free from having to fight for their lives against an unimaginably strong enemy. The rest of the day kind of flew by after that. Nora spent the rest of the day tending to her blades. Even when they came across a new city, she did not really do much, seeing as she didn't understand them very well. Better not to cause any confusion or trouble for the company.

Day five was... also interesting. She took the opportunity to enter as much as she saw into her journal. Never before had she seen such an ethereal landscape. A place scarred by mystic energy, as far as she could tell anyways. Nora had never seen a place such as this before. Neither had she seen a being consumed by fire. The salamander was spectacular to the halfbreed. It was over before she could get a much closer look, but that might have been for the best.

The rest of the day was spent napping while the company went through the next city. Honestly, she would miss a lot, but there wasn't much that she would have needed, so perhaps that was alright.

Day Six
​

Exhaustion. That is without a doubt the one and only thing that Nora felt after the second hour mark of the marching. Everyone was out and walking and she felt like she should as well, but she regretted it. She could have just as easily tucked herself away somewhere to nap, but she'd have felt bad doing so. However, it might have been better to do that over sweating buckets along with the rest of the crew.

When they were finally able to stop, she hunched over, pulling her hood from over her head. She was kind of a mess. That was one of her biggest weaknesses. Her lack of endurance. She could do some pretty crazy things if it was just a few times, but doing anything consistently or for a long amount of time would leave her drained.

Despite all of this, the sights ahead brought her back to her senses. It was like a natural cage guarded by its many legged defenders, the forest ahead.

"Hmm... Khorzev!" shouted the old knight as he walked away from Cassandra and Waylond. "Where are you old chum? I think I'll need you and some volunteers to check the woods for any danger."

Nora blinks and turns upon hearing Alberto's words. This was an opportunity to do something for the company! She turns, whips her blades from her pack, and approaches with small hopping strides. Her blood was pumping for excitement, despite how tired the journey made her. "I'll help," she says, stepping closer towards the forest, looking at the large arachnids in their home, watching and observing them. Her eyes would flash white as she observed them back.

"Perhaps if we venture in we might find the source in question, though I cannot help but ask: why are we doing this, exactly?" Gawain asked Alberto. "I mean no disrespect, Ser. Though we are equipped for the task and there is a modicum of information that can be gleaned from this small excursion, I don't think the merit to be worth the potential risks."

The cambion snickers to herself before turning and looking at the skeleton-esque person. "What's the matter? That last spider get you all shaken up?" she teased, hoisting her weapons over each shoulder.

 

[Dmaster]

Cal's explanation for the current anomaly before them was somewhat lost in translation for the undead wizard due to the language the cleric chose for it, yet he fortunately had context clues to go off of. "Well, you sound like an expert. Far be it from me to stop a... pilgrimage?" he replied openly, slight confusion in his tone.

"What's the matter? That last spider get you all shaken up?"

Gawain slowly lowered his expressionless face toward the short woman and her teasing, his bared teeth perfectly neutral to match his utterly emotionless reply that followed. "I am trying to make sure people do not get eaten, disemboweled, or both. Yet if you wish to attribute my hesitation to something as trivial as fear you can be my guest," he stated.

 

[FloweryMuffin]

Korzhev did not approach the prospect of a week’s worth of travelling with his usual excitement. It must have been the unceremonious way in which he was woken up that particular day – the sounds of clanking, unwashed? pots- there was little to blame for his less than cheery mood. Nevertheless, the old man dutifully packed his belongings, sorting through his herbs, throwing away concoctions that were much too old to use. Running himself through this mundane process so early in the morning was enough to convince him to look forward to the journey ahead, naturally hoping that they won’t encounter anything particularly dangerous during their travels.

On the first day, Korzhev was very happy to receive such a nice meal, as they were just getting started with the marching and they needed to be strong and rested on the road. It should have come as no surprise that some of the company’s fighters wished to keep having such glorious meals. So, they went out and, from what Syll managed to tell them through his nausea, they more so succeeded in annoying the local fauna. Through many laughs, Korzhev was genuinely guilty to tell the young warrior that he had just run out of the herbs he would have needed to rid him of the nausea. Luckily for them, said herbs could be found in the village next to which they camped and Korzhev got his hands on some as well, in case they ever found themselves with such an incident on their hands again in the future.

The second day, he was quite angry with the villagers senselessly killing one of their own, but seeing Alberto and Pepin forcefully dragging the fighters away from a very stupid decision -starting an actual fight- Korzhev had to exercise all of the patience he was capable of to not cast one of the more.. malevolent curses that he was capable of. After all, he was not some close-minded villager anymore, in his old age he learned to not fear the unknown, at last.

The third day, Korzhev was very much satisfied to see that there were no grave wounds in need of mending, no complicated antidotes were required to be made, as their adventurers emerged mostly unhurt and most importantly, still living. Then their camp erupted in celebration and he was more than content to let it all unfold before him while his eyes recorded it within his memory.

The rest of their travelling days seemed to bleed into each other afterwards, to Korzhev it seemed like they were travelling through a loop in time. Forest, then a town or a village, then forest giving way to a path to another village. The Free Cities were shelved in his memory as picturesque images of little cosy homes and fields and trees. He managed to acquire quite a nice stash of herbs.

The woods next to which they set up camp on the sixth day seemed to him…rather eerie. And the company was just on their way to taking a break right there.

"Hmm... Khorzev!" shouted the old knight as he walked away from Cassandra and Waylond. "Where are you old chum? I think I'll need you and some volunteers to check the woods for any danger."

Hearing Alberto call to him, he turned up next to the knight.

“Why, I shall! But it seems..” he looked around at his fellow adventurers who were warily staring at the woods behind him, “I don’t expect them to be very fond of these fellas, ‘specially at the size they’ve presented to be. My, what a predicament! Well, were they to swallow me, I trust you’re more than capable to slice their bellies open before I’m sent up to my patron! There is not much we can see from here besides their colour, is it? The whiteness of their webs, indeed. Please, if I were to be turned into a rather tasteless meal, do make an effort to send these things back to their maker!”

In truth, underneath the cheeriness and the jokes, Korzhev himself was not one to enjoy the presence of…sizeable spiders, yet they were never going to find out much about their current obstacle by viewing from afar. With that in mind, he approached the clearing and by extension, the spiders. He had his staff at the ready, a hex at the ready, should they try anything.

Each step he took closer to the clearing filled him with dread, but somebody had to look those things in the eye. And again, his mind usefully supplied to him, he had his staff and a curse right on his tongue in case things went downhill.

 

[Beann]

The loud clanking of pots being hit together immediately woke Kastalli up, her tail stiff and puffed out on high alert. She looked around, a mixture of confusion and drowsiness was plastered across her face. Pepin was waking everyone up, shouting at the whole company to start packing up. Her ears flattened as the mercenary began to shout their itinerary near her tent. It was a bit early to be barking orders, wasn’t it? Kastalli couldn’t be annoyed though, she was at least grateful that the atmosphere shifted from when the company learned that Devereaux was a vampyr. She had hoped that everybody would have calmed down and accepted it by now but she knew that a few were still wary of her dear friend. With a tired sigh, she took a moment to gather herself before helping the rest pack up their supplies.

---

Day one

Unlike the morning before, Kastalli woke up in a rather good mood. The smell of onions and sausages caused her tail to flicker almost uncontrollably. Her stomach growled all the way until she scarfed down her entire serving. It was no food from her homeland but she had to admit that one of the best parts about joining the company was that she was given several opportunities to try new foods.

After the hearty meal, Kastalli spent most of her time at the back of the caravan, allowing Sera to style her hair as she shared a few fond memories of her husband. Ever since she had confided in her dear friend about her sorrow, she felt a little more comfortable sharing at least the good parts of her marriage. It still pained her to think about Saito but she felt strong enough to combat the tears as she happily explained the first time she encountered her late husband.

Unfortunately, their bonding time was interrupted as a handful of the fighters scouting ahead came running back. The sight was a bit disturbing as she saw a few empty their stomachs and others barely getting out the explanation of a strange creature. Luckily for the company, Sera had a special connection to wild animals as she dealt with the creature, leaving Kastalli to keep a nauseous Syllannan company. There wasn’t much she could do in terms of helping him with his ailment but she did whatever she could to make him comfortable such as providing him with water and rubbing his back.

Eventually, the company reached its first planned destination. Riverham. It was a bit shocking to see that it was nothing like Waterham. The town was quiet and peaceful, similar to the town she grew up in herself. The rest of her day was spent by the lake, admiring both the view and the weather. Kastalli found Riverham beautiful and she wished the company could have stayed for more than a night but they pushed forward the next morning.

---

Day two

The rain from the night before left the roads muddy, causing travel time to be rather slow. Kastalli didn’t mind the cloudy weather, she was used to far worse conditions. What she did mind was how many times she almost tripped over her boot sinking too far into the mud. There were a few times when her tail swished in annoyance at the rough terrain but she did her best to ignore those feelings by occupying herself in conversation. She spoke with one of the fighters, he was eager to learn a few words in Shigese. Kastalli was happy to teach Saito’s native tongue, after all, she feared she would be a bit rusty after not speaking it for so long but she recalled quite a bit.

The tense atmosphere took a turn for the worse as the company passed through a small village. Kastalli did what she could to distract herself from the hateful stares as she continued to share a few more words with her friend in Shigese. However, a sudden crack left Kastalli speechless as she watched the fighter she had walked with for a few hours hit the ground dead. As a handful of the company members drew their weapons in anger, the only thing she could do was stand there distraught. As sad as she was, she was far too shocked to shed any tears.

The rest of the day was rather a blur for her. She walked in silence for the most part, only muttering a few words of acknowledgment to those who approached her. The company had scratched out Ulham, fearing they would be met with the same treatment they received earlier. So they continued on until they eventually arrived at Meadowshire. The people there were much more welcoming but it did little to lighten Kastalli's mood as she quickly ate and went to sleep to forget about the events that had transpired that day.

---

Day three

As the company continued on after Meadowshire, it wasn’t long until their scouts reported back sightings of a burial barrow. Kastalli did not care to explore it, she wasn’t fond of closed-off spaces with only one way in and out. However, noticing that Sera and Syllannan were within the exploration group, she found the courage to join them. They were quickly intercepted by goblins, forcing Kastalli to chime her bell to disorient a few of them. Eventually, the goblins retreated when they realized they weren’t dealing with naive adventurers, escaping deeper into the barrow. She had hoped the company would be satisfied with the supplies they found nearby but it was decided they would press on, much to Kastalli’s reluctance.

The further exploration resulted in Gawain receiving a horrifying bite from a large spider. Kastalli had never seen a spider quite so large before. She was shocked that no one had even detected it as it lashed out from the ceiling. It was quickly scared off though by the light that the company emitted, forcing the spider to scurry back into the dark. Kastalli was certain that the group would decide to turn back after that encounter but she was shocked — and a little agitated, it find them wanting to press on further. She didn’t protest in words but her tail swayed in annoyance now and then as she kept her head on a swivel to look out for the giant spider.

However, they didn’t encounter the spider again. Instead, they were met with animated corpses, clearly angered that the company disturbed their grounds. With time, the corpses were dealt with as the group advanced to what was assumed to be the last area. They were met with more animated corpses, far more durable than the last. One had managed to sneak up on Kastalli, roaring in her ear. She spun around in fright and instinctively struck it on the head with her bell. While the initial attack did not phase the enemy, she was lucky that Syllannan was nearby to deal with it, cleaving its head in one swoop of his axe.

Once everything was cleared out, the company set up camp once more, celebrating their victory of the day. Kastalli, however, was a little on edge and found it rather difficult to fall asleep for the night.

---

Day four

While traveling, the company encountered a terrifying beast. One with a single arm, leg, and eye. It wielded a tree trunk as its preferred weapon and Kastalli was just about ready to bolt in the other direction before an ogre came bustling through. The battle between the two giants was an interesting sight as the company viewed it from afar. The loud roars from both beasts forced her ears to flatten as she hid behind Calocis, only peering from his side every now and then to get an update on the battle. Eventually, the ogre emerged victorious, quickly returning to its woods with the other beast’s head in hand.

The company was quick to leave the scene, pressing onwards until they reached Rubenstad. Unlike the other cities and towns they’ve traveled through, this was perhaps the first for many of them in which they couldn’t properly communicate with the townsfolk. Luckily for them, Syllannan was able to speak on behalf of the company, securing a safe night for them in the city inns. Feeling somewhat safe within the city limits, Kastalli was able to relax for the night, offering the company a few songs with Devereaux.

---

Day five

Kastalli and the rest of the company came across a region that was heavily affected by the maelstrom. It was a fascinating, yet frightening sight. Many florae that were originally green displayed a vibrant purple color and there were even rocks floating! As interesting as it was to observe, Kastalli couldn’t help but feel resentment towards all of this as it was the very thing that took her husband away from her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t given enough time to dwell on those feelings as they encountered a salamander. She figured it was best to leave it alone considering it had made no movements to attack the company. However, one of the fighters attempted to scare it off by throwing a rock, causing the creature to spray fire in their direction. Luckily, no one was severely burned as it was decided to change their route slightly to leave the creature alone.

Finally, the company arrived in Parelstad. The city was bustling with life, especially in the market square. With the company settling in a couple of inns and taverns, they were given free time to explore the city. Along with many other members, Kastalli decided to browse all the shops that were available to her. She did not wish to spend too much of her own money but she wanted to purchase a couple of trinkets for her friends.

For Syllannan, she purchased a necklace with a design that reminded her of Skæg.

For Sera, she purchased two matching bracelets for both of them to wear.

Lastly, she purchased a fancy quill for Devereaux whenever he found the inspiration to write his songs.

---

Current day

After hours of traveling, it was clear that a lot of the members were falling behind due to exhaustion. Kastalli would be lying if she said her feet didn’t hurt at least a little bit. She turned her gaze to Paulin who had pleaded for a break, in which Kastalli nodded her head quietly in agreement — she would like a moment to rest her feet as well. With the approval for a short break, Kastalli sat down right where she stood, letting out a loud sigh of relief. She flexed her feet, one after the other before turning her attention to where Cassandra had pointed.

It was a forest but instead of the lush leaves that would shade the ground underneath, it was covered in spider webs. Kastalli squinted as she made out a couple of large spiders, feasting on whatever was caught in their web. She had to agree with Alberto, that definitely was concerning. After the surprise attack from the spider in the burial barrow a couple of days ago, she wasn’t too excited to face more of them.

“It is likely not a lot of people travel through these areas,” Kastalli turned to her friend who expressed concern about the sight. “Leaving them undisturbed for so long allows them to populate like this — I do not like it either.” She turned her head over to Gawain who had expressed to Alberto that it was not worth the risk to investigate. In which, their newest member, Nora, made a teasing remark towards the well-respected mage. “Had the last spider attacked anyone but Gawain, we would have had to bury another member.” Kastalli flicked her tail in annoyance, not understanding why it was laughable to be cautious.

Looking back over to Alberto, she decided to back up her friend’s sentiment. “I agree with Gawain, we should avoid the area if we can.” However, it would seem both Calocis and Korzhev were set on investigating as they inched closer to the forest.

---

joshuadim Vexumin EdwardDewey98

 

[Vexumin]

Nora had not been expecting the rather serious responses from both of the people that responded to her teasing of the skull-faced spellcaster. She just frowns a bit before pulling her hood over her head, that dejected feeling sinking into her heart. How was any of that fair. It was just a joke after all. "I was just teasing, jeez. Nonetheless, you two don't know me, so you should not have to worry about me getting hurt. I want to be of use, so I'll go whether you two believe it safe or not. Even if I have to go on my own." Nora says as she steps towards the forest, keeping her head low. Her cheerful demeanor had faded. "Jokes are not welcome here. Noted."

 

[Roda the Red]

Day 1: Out hunting with his fellow expeditioners, Syll had learned that sometimes what seems as an opportunity can lead to disaster, the disaster, in this case, was specifically the health of his stomach, as attempting to hunt a particular lone Elwetritsch resulted in the entire group falling prey to the otherwordly gaze of the creature. It was fortunate that Sera was right there to help them out, using her druidic talents to appease the creature. The elf was also assisted by the tender care and attention from Kastalli (perhaps getting sick wasn't such a bad thing after all).

Once in Riverham he was able to get some medication and rest on a proper bed. he just hoped that the foul start of this new journey wasn't some kind of bad omen.

Day 2: Due to the lingering effects of yesterday, this was Syll's most uneventful day, staying most of the day hanging out inside of the caravan carts, jumping between chatting with whoever happened to stay in it as well and starting the last written epic he had yet to read from his belongings, he admitedly felt a bit guilty of not helping out with the difficulties the muddy path presented, but it wasn't that big of a deal. That was, well, until tension started to rise between the company and a congregation of villagers who weren't eager whatsoever on receiving some of the more colorful members of the company. While the death of their ally was a painful tragedy, it was good to see that it did not escalate into a bloodbath, killing scared and helpless villagers was far from what Syll planned for his coveted heroic agenda.

Day 3: Now this was the kind of day the elf had hoped for, one that he could call back to and share the tales to his friends and children of tomorrow, one that he was thankful he had been fully recovered for. The ruins they had come across certainly proved themselves to be both treacherous and merciless, but it was nothing that he and his comrades, whose masterful combat expertise was shown at full display, could not handle, be it goblins, spiders or even the wrathful undead, even of those last proved to be quite the menace, both in numbers and power.

The bounty was nothing to scoff at either, as Syll appreciated the quality of the equipment they had found, and with the consent of his equals, decided to keep the fine leather gloves.

Day 4: Syllannan spent most of the morning that day pestering Calocis with his overbearing friendship advances, which, as expected, were returned with indifference and a cold demeanor. This did not dishearted the mage, however, as he had come to the conclusion that the priest only needed an eager person to break through that thick shell.

Later that day was the ferocious fight between the Fachan and the Ogre, quite a sight to behold, indeed. The Ogre ended up coming out as the victor in an impressive display of might, it was a good thing that he did not seem very interested in the company.

To his surprise, Syll turned out to be of utmost help once he had arrived to their next settlement, as Copseshire was a village with folks that mainly spoke Old Brannorian, a language that he was not a stranger to in the least. He managed to calm down the guards and found his way with his words to get them to spend the night at the local Inn. Syll ended up spending most of the night complying to Waylond's request, albeit a bit puzzled about the words he asked for specifically, trully, he never expected to one day teach someone how to say "bossom" in Old Brannorian.

Day 5: Staring in awe at the surreal environment, Syll was inspired by the sights of the unnatural forest. There is an argument that one should not be amazed by what is essentially the aftershocks of a great tragedy, but he just couldn't help himself, to the point he felt the need to write the sights down as soon as possible. Specially that of the salamander they came across, which fortunately they didn't have to fight thanks to Petrocles' intervention. It would be a shame to ruin this wonderful place with bloodshed.

Once in Parelstad, the elf headed straight to the biggest library around. He had decided a while back that the books he had already read through half a dozen times had little more to offer, and so he arranged with the librarian for an exchange, and now with new books, both of the narrative-rich and knowledge-granting kind, he was excited for his next moment of literary solitude. That however felt secondary after meeting up Sera and Kastalli, the latter having showed up with a gift for him: A beautiful necklace of seemingly Skæglin-like design. He thanked her and promised to return the favor someday. From then on, he would constantly be seen wearing the piece of jewelry.

Day 6: With sore feet, Syll rested on the grassy ground alongside the others. He may not be new to marching, but he certainly hadn't yet developed the endless stamina of a veteran traveler.

The group was already making plans to inspect the area for possible threats, a hard intent to judge since, well, this was far from the most welcoming-looking forest they've seen so far, you know, giant spiders and all. Syll stood up as Noradriia seemed to have been somewhat hurt by the reaction towards her joke, which humor wasn't exactly pristine, to be fair.

"Well, it is true that we may be acting a bit too reckless given this is not necessarily our business, but... I cannot help but feel that we should not leave things as is, after all, this forest is one of the main routes that connect Parelstad and Vrouwstad, if something really dangerous is around, then we are talking about the lives of dozens if not hundreds of travelers and merchants at stake..."

He stepped towards both Kastalli and Gawain.

"I understand we technically are here only to draw maps, but I think it only feels proper to also give a helping hand just like in Waterham, is it not?"

He then walked towards Alberto and Korzhev, giving a simple nod, which was more than enough to signal his eagerness to assist.

 

[joshuadim]

Gsera watched the treeline intently, visibly grimacing as she spotted yet another large spider crawl among the webs in the thicket, before returning her attention to her companions that were discussing their next course of action. "I... I would prefer not have to go inside." she then spoke, rubbing her hands nervously again. "They may be creatures of the woods, but I still don't have a fondness for them." She then saw both Nora and Syll volunteering for the task at hand and felt an immediate pang of guilt. They were volunteering to put themselves in potential harms way while she stayed behind because of her distaste for spiders. It made her feel like a coward in a sense and got her to speak up. "...but if, uh, my help is needed... then... I suppose I should?" Gsera then finished, her voice rather meek and trailing off with her final words.

 

[Dmaster]

Gawain unhinged his jaw slightly at Nora's sullen reaction, his slight reprimand really only made in passing yet she seemed to have taken it to heart. Harsh as it may have sounded coming from the wizard, he had not intended to offend. He meant no sarcasm when she was free to tease him all she wanted, though perhaps she was not quite used to his rather deadpan demeanor. "Now how does that make any sense? You won't be of use to anyone if you get maimed or perish by going in there all by your lonesome," he grumbled, crossing his arms with annoyance. Was this the thanks he got for displaying empathy for his fellow company member's safety? At the very least Kastalli agreed with him.

"Ah, thank you Kastalli," he starts, yet soon his head cocks toward Syllannan as he posits with a comparison to Waterham, the undead mage shrugging his shoulders as an initial reply. "Waterham was a slightly different matter. I think the best course of action would be to erect warning signs on the path about these giant spiders, personally. A preventative measure rather than the active solution we had to employ back in the city," Gawain explained. "Still, if we're adamant about going inside and 'doing our part' I would be remiss to lose out on a discovery, even if it would be a distraction from my primary research."

"My concerns are mainly derived from logistics, but we are likely prepared for whatever waits within. It very well may be nothing at all. Who knows?"

 

[joshuadim]

Pepin surveyed the woods from afar, putting his hand on his brow to shield his eyes from the sun, and muttered to himself under his breath. This was a rather unexpected development on their travels, and potentially a dangerous one as well given just how infested these woods seemed. Fortunately for them, it seemed that the spiders had no interest on venturing outside their nests at the moment which lent them a modicum of safety out on the main road. But to press onward would also mean growing the danger as well and yet turning back meant potentially a great amount of time lost searching for an alternative route, if there even was one remotely in the same direction they were traveling.

“Unless we wish to lose several days worth of travel searching for an alternate route that might not even be there, we should assess the danger.” Pepin remarked, both to Alberto and Cecilia as well as other members of the Company. But when Nora made a quip and was subsequently chastised for it by both Gawain and Kastalli, Pepin rolled his eyes. “Hey now, I expected Monsieur Ossements to have the humor of being pricked by a porcupine, but you Kastalli?” he spoke to the half-Rakshasa, before turning his gaze to the gnome who had started to wander off. "Nothing wrong with a bit of fun, c'est la vie."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

A disappointed Cecilia noted that the majority of the company was more interested in discussing about the potential dangers of the spider nest on the tree line than to look at her map, letting out a frustrated sigh, the defeated Cecilia lowered her perfect map to look at the spider nest. she notices Alberto approaching while also looking for Khorzev. As he looked for his fellow elderly man, Sentry asked the old knight a question.

"Are we to push forward? If so, we should be prepared for anything in there."

Alberto didn't respond immediately, as he continued to look amongst the company for Khorzev. "Hmm... That's why I want to inspect this maelanima nest, madame." He said as he walked through the tired adventurers laying down on the cobbled path or on the grassy brush at the side of the road.

"Fascinating, a staggering amount of growth for such a diminutive species, there is possibly a font of unstable mana or a similar anomaly nearby. Or this change was spurned by the maelstrom itself, its effects persisting across generations of the colony."

"An excellent observation, master Gawain. I believe that the lack of coloration and blooming in these woods would imply the second possibility, perhaps this colony moved from an area affected by either the Great Maelstrom or by another, smaller storms." said Cecilia as she jumped down from the wagon she was sitting in. "Considering the fact we have witnessed several maelanima on our way here, such as the Salamander and the Fachan... it is a great possibility! We should also be grateful we are not facing a Manticore or a Cockatrice... or well... some capricious Faerie." Cecilia's summoned fairy dragon lands on her shoulders, it's colorful reptilian eyes give her an incriminating look. "Oh please, I don't mean you!"

"Perhaps if we venture in we might find the source in question, though I cannot help but ask: why are we doing this, exactly? I mean no disrespect, Ser. Though we are equipped for the task and there is a modicum of information that can be gleaned from this small excursion, I don't think the merit to be worth the potential risks."

"He's right Alberto, why do you want to approach these woods? Are you seeking an alternative path?" asked the scholar while resting her arms above her chest, upon hearing the scholar's question, Alberto stumbled on his words for a moment, but before he could give his hastily thought answer, Cecilia interrupted him. "...Ah, I can see it in your eyes." she said while squinting her eyes. "Alberto, you know what the Emperor said." she said coldly, her piercing gaze looking straight into the knights.

Upon hearing that sentence, many members of the company looked over at Cecilia. "We cannot insert ourselves into the struggles of each region we venture in, it would be best to let local authorities handle whatever is happening in these woods." She said as her gaze trailed off into the distance to look at the layers of spider web gently moving with the breeze. "Madame, master Gawain, I only wish to understand what's going on." answered the knight, his gaze shifting between Gawain and Cecilia. While the knight attempted to explain his reasoning, Cassandra would be the one to point out that some of the arachnid inhabitants of these copses were already staring at the company. "I know that I am simply tagging along in this expedition and thus I have no voice in your discussions, but... it might be wiser to check these copses and woods, because I can see a few more nests made out of web down the road." said the Hob scholar, her accent appearing a bit more often as her ink-stained fingers pointed at the path ahead.

"Well, first of all my dear Cassandra, you are an important member of this company and your opinion is always welcome, okay?" Said Cecilia with a soft smile on her face, a smile that quickly leaves as she gazes upon the path ahead. "...and second, you might and Ser Alberto might have a point, I suppose." Stroking her chin, the Eranoiran scholar pondered of what laid ahead of them. "They all have different sizes, I can see averaged sized spiders moving through the webs as well... What hap-"

"They are as they are because of the Quar'valsharess Elghinn."

Nearly everyone in the company stopped what they were doing to look at Calocis. Being a quiet and brooding person, the dark elf rarely expressed himself to the company, so any moment he spoke to them, caused everyone to look at the Cleric of Nyarlaexedum, but what surprised many this time was the fact he had clearly spoken in a language many never heard before, with some exceptions such Cecilia, and strangely, the Hamalan mercenary Angelica.

"Wow, what was that!" asked Cassandra as she hastily pulled her notepad from her backpack. "He spoke Dökkel, a patois of an ancient, almost forgotten elven language that only the Dökkálfar and the Ljósálfar understand, yes, even the ancient Tylwythálfar have forgotten of this old language." said Cecilia as she studied Calocis. "Sadly, I do not know what he said, care to tell us master Cal- ...and he's walking away!"

"I will approach the Orbb, and take their measure. If there is a rothe nearby, then they dare not bedevil my passage"

Said the dark elf as he walked towards the nest that was in front of them. Cassandra, hoping that Cecilia would know the meaning of those words, looked upon the scholar with glint on her eyes, hoping to gain more knowledge. "I do know that Orbb means spider... and if I'm not mistaken Rothe means servant, but they use it to describe the "dark men of the mire wood", the Bosenech... I know very little of them sadly." She added as she watched the Cleric walk away from the road, determined to face these creatures.

The sound of twisting overgrown chitin and skittering pests sounded almost familiar for the dark cleric, for this sight was almost common back in his enclave, he remembered those webbed dark hallways and alleys, home to many domesticated Orbbs. They were pest control and guardian "hounds" of the darkened paths of his home, but as he neared the edge of the copse, one particular specimen caught Cal's attention, a Gendur'Orbb.

​

An arachnid of the size of a household cat stood motionless in the middle of a large, old tree, it's glassy eyes reflecting down the curious gaze of the Cleric of Nyarlaexedum. The Gendur'Orbb was perhaps one of the few rarities of Dökkálfar culture, specially among those who exclusively worship the dark god Nyarlaexedum. These small creatures were kept as pets, treated with care and the closest semblance of affection in Dökkálfar society. Indeed, even the High Priests of Nyarlaexedum would indulge themselves by owning several Gendur'Orbbs.

The few adventurous scholars that had been allowed into the underground enclaves of Dökkálfar often pondered why even the higher echelons of their priesthood would keep pets. One famous adventuring scholar wrote that he asked the High Priest of Nyarlaexedum about the Gendur'Orbb and why they were kept, the priest, with a serious expression, simply said "They are cute" and continued on without elaborating further. Indeed, even the distant and brooding Calocis, who many considered too over zealous back in his homeland, would look at this cat-sized creature with slight appreciation.

But beyond the comical creature, the cleric of Nyarlaexedum could not see any signs of the Rothe - no childish fetishes, no crude sacrifices, no art carved into trees or stones, devoid of any actual artistic merit. The Rothe, the Bosenech, were a brutish people, and yet the way they worshiped Nyarlaexedum's darkness was endearing, and the way they treated the Dökkálfar as "angelic" heralds of the Dark God was interesting to Calocis. Regardless, After further studying the surrounding copse, the Dökkálfar found very few things of interest, and yet he decided to explore further, with the hopes of finding any signs of his Dark God, or simply because he was tired of the mindless droning of the company.

Seeing that the dark elf went further into the woods, the Arcoñal knight looked back at the scholar with a faint smile on his face. "The master Elf has chosen for us." Cecilia simply sighed in response. As the scholar returned to her paperwork, Alberto attempted to shout Khorzev's name once more, but luckily, the wizened Shaman had listened the first time he called for his name, and approached his fellow elder, ready to march into the woods.

“I don’t expect them to be very fond of these fellas, ‘specially at the size they’ve presented to be. My, what a predicament! Well, were they to swallow me, I trust you’re more than capable to slice their bellies open before I’m sent up to my patron! There is not much we can see from here besides their colour, is it? The whiteness of their webs, indeed. Please, if I were to be turned into a rather tasteless meal, do make an effort to send these things back to their maker!”

"And this is exactly why I enjoy travelling with you, my friend! Always ready to fight!" said Alberto in response. "Worry not, I doubt we will face many dangers as long as we are careful." He added as the old shaman walked away. While he stared at the copse ahead, he turned his attention to those that had gathered to discuss the matter of the spiders. Nora, who is normally quite reserved, wanted to have a bit of fun and poked Gawain a bit, as expected from the undead wizard, his response was cold and honest, but most surprising was Kastalli's response. Clearly offended, the dwarf woman walked away into the woods.

"Ay, diosa mía... estos jóvenes de hoy en dia..." he muttered. "Alright then, Pepin! I leave you in charge, Gawain is your second... Simon, Frost, Sentry, Syllannan, Gsera, you come with us as well." He said while pointing at each respective member of the company. "Everyone else, please hold your ground, we are just going to check what is going with these woods and ensure it is safe for us traverse these roads." With his orders dispatched, Alberto would follow after the others, letting the rest of the company to rest a bit more. "Nora, wait a second please!" ordered the knight as he caught up with the dwarf woman. "Don't mind Kastalli, the poor lass is still a bit upset with what happened in that village, she and the lad we lost, Gautier, were becoming friends." said the knight as he looked down at the hooded figure bellow him. "Back in Waterham, Gawain was injured by a man that was trying to hurt Kastalli, I imagine that must affect her as well, the thought of her friends being wounded or worse, killed, must be affecting her a lot... I am not asking you to be her friend, just... don't take what she says too seriously." With that being said, the knight gently patted the gnome assassin in the head before walking ahead of her. "Alright everyone! Follow master Calocis! He's just a few trees ahead of us!"

​

Alberto, Gsera, Nora, Sentry, Khorzev, Calocis, and Syll along with two of the company’s archers stepped forward to the task at hand. With the forward scouting party’s members decided upon and gathered shortly thereafter, Alberto mustered them onwards and led the way as he unsheathed his blade and held it at the ready. The archers would also prepare arrows onto their strings, though not at full draw as of yet, as they followed behind the others as a rear guard for the moment. Very quickly upon traveling into the infested woods, having maneuvered between large amounts of silk, the sun in the sky dimmed above and the area took on a colder, darker tone in the air itself.

Nora, being as small as she was, pushed ahead further as for additional information ahead as well as to find the best path to traverse. From time to time, spiders would crawl above or near them to skitter from one web to another. Being as careful as they could, they pushed onwards into the woods until Nora yelled out to announce a finding. Catching up to her, the group would be privy to see the abandoned clothes of a harlequin, not too dissimilar to what Devy was wearing back on the main road, which spiked visible concern among many including Alberto. “…keep your eyes open. We might have bodies here.” He stated with grim undertones.

Pushing onwards, it became rather clear that the worst had come to pass for an unfortunate caravan here. Upon reaching a small clearing, less dense with trees than the path they had emerged from, there were several destroyed wagons both on the ground and held up in the understory and canopy of these woods by massive amounts of webbing. Worse still, there were cocoons in the webs themselves that signaled a grisly end for people in this caravan. One of the archers accompanying the group nearly vomited from this, sickened to his stomach by such a sight. Much to some relief however, Gsera spotted tracks leading away from the site which meant that some may have potentially survived this encounter. “Good find, Lady Sera. May they find safety elsewhere from these accursed woods.” Alberto commented before squinting at the wagons nearby, “…seems to have been a circus caravan. Judging by both the clothes we found previously and some of these cages.”

As the company investigated further, Gsera saw a cage which housed a dead lion now being devoured by a swarm of small wolf spiders atop its corpse. Another cage, found by Khorzev, seemed to once house a baby manticore judging by the sign on it. But no longer as the cage had been wrapped in webbing and its occupant devoured. Yet the biggest surprise came when Nora pointed out to the others of one of the lower hanging cages with a sign: "Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"

“Now what could that be?” Alberto mused quietly before turning his attention to Gsera: “Sera, help Nora up to see in there.” Shortly thereafter, Gsera would hoise Nora up onto her should and them up onto her hands above her head. On the count of three she then pushed as hard as she could upwards so that Nora could leap above. With a precision, Nora was able to just grab hold one of the bars of the caged wagon. What immediately struck her as odd however was the presence of ash and soot on the bars themselves, though it did not hinder her ability to maintain a grip as she steadied herself and found additional footing by angling herself along other parts of the wagon.

As she peeked inside, it was remarkably untouched by the spiders when compared to the lion and manticore wagons. But there was also one key difference: there was a small, child-like figure inside. Unconscious and weak. In the dim light of the woods, it was hard to make out much of her, but she was alive.

 

[Taigakitt]

Chi'sa
"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"​

Hel.

Was that an accurate description to what erupted among the Horváth mester csodálatos cirkusza! (“The Marvelous Circus of Master Horváth!”) when they set camp for a rest?

Screeches and the sound of skitters resounded against her wagon cage, startling Chi’sa from her nap in the straw as she sat up quickly. Straw stuck to her fluffy, blonde hair, a little stuck in the crevices of her black, textured horns. Her honey brown eyes were wide as she looked out to the woods.

There was nothing Chi’sa could do but watch behind her fireproof bars as chaos erupted.

Screams. Shouts.

The tang of blood and fear circulated the air.

She quickly scooted to the corner of her cage, drawing her knees up to her chest as she whimpered.

What was that giant fluffy… thing that ran past her line of sight? It was too quick for her to take notice of anything besides the bristles and more than four legs.

She tried to shrink further into herself as her arms wrapped around her knees– a little ball of Chi’sa.

Her long, slender red scaled tail wrapped around her bare feet and held tight against her body.

It was only mere moments before the little dragon girl began hyperventilating as she watched one of their dancers get torn into, right in front of her, then wrapped up into a web.

Those many, beady eyes then took her in and a new fear may have settled into the young child’s bones.

A chill ran through her skull, down her spines, causing goosebumps to crawl across her arms.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out as she watched that spider stalk towards her cage.

She tried shrinking further back into the corner, feeling the wood snagging at her white dress in places and scraping her thighs. The draconic spikes along her spine felt like they were tearing into the wooden wall.

No! Go away! is what she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs but it seemed even the circus’s weapon handlers couldn’t take of these beasts. These spiders weren’t terrified of them.

So what could a little girl even do?

That spider jumped to the top of her wagon, causing a yelp to finally emit from the child as she jolted, now trying to tuck her head down as far as she could go. There really wasn’t any more she could do to close in on herself.

That spider sounded like it was scratching at the wood with its legs before coming back down the bars of the wagon cage. It put its front legs on the ground, its back two sets staying on the caravan.

Then, Chi’sa felt movement.

Unnatural movement as that wagon was lifted into the air. Another spider jumped on the top, knocking Chi’sa off her balance and she went tumbling around on the inside, scraping her more fleshy skin up.

That spider brought it’s face to the bars upside down, its fangs opening up, something akin to saliva dripping down as it attempted tearing those bars off.

The young girl screamed as she felt the dredges of her terror cause her to loosen her hold on the fire she could manipulate.

A spit of fire shot from her, smacking that spider in its face. It screeched in anger and decided to move on to something else that caught its attention on the outside.

That fire caught some of the straw inside the wagon on fire, but the circus had long ago learned to make her wagon fireproof.

That straw quickly burnt out.

A spider once again jumped to her wagon and reached its legs in, digging into her leg and tried pulling her toward its maw as if it would try to eat her through the bars.

She screamed, using her free foot to try and kick at the spider’s legs.

Something smacked the spider on the outside. It must have been another of the performers trying to grab the spider’s attention

Why? Tears streamed down the girl’s face.

Upon jumping off her wagon, the spider caused the caravan to swing wildly, throwing Chi’sa around some more until she finally hit her forehead among the bars and was knocked out.

The caravan was left swinging with the cage bars up in the sky, and Chi’sa lying unconscious along the back wall.

 

[Vexumin]

Nora had left the others, as the party began to depart for the web ridden forest, with very few parting words. She was hurt, but she did not allow it to distract her. Besides, when she engages in such back and forth, she often lets her emotion take control and it causes her to say something that she truly would not mean. She appreciated the clarification from the skeletal mage before she had left. She would have to apologize to both Gawain and Kastalli when she returned. It would be unfair to leave such a first impression as it was.

The half-dwarf had never really had the greatest experience when it comes to creating bonds. She would make attempt to forge friendships, but perhaps she was simply too careless with her words. Something to work on when she returns.

Nevertheless, these thoughts occupied her mind as the group maneuvered past webbing after webbing, being careful not to disturb the weaved structures so as to not catch the attention of those who weaved them. She could just start hacking away to clear a path, but goodness knows just how many of these creatures were dangling around them at that point in time. The fear of it kept her quiet until she heard the voice of the caravan's leader speaking her way.

"Nora, wait a second please!" ordered the knight as he caught up with the dwarf woman. "Don't mind Kastalli, the poor lass is still a bit upset with what happened in that village, she and the lad we lost, Gautier, were becoming friends." said the knight as he looked down at the hooded figure bellow him. "Back in Waterham, Gawain was injured by a man that was trying to hurt Kastalli, I imagine that must affect her as well, the thought of her friends being wounded or worse, killed, must be affecting her a lot... I am not asking you to be her friend, just... don't take what she says too seriously."

His approach surprised her. She could have swore that Alberto had previously had an apprehensive opinion to her joining the caravan, but this caught her off guard. His words had an affect on her though. She couldn't help but get a saddened look upon her face. She had not realized the circumstances and reasoning for their caution and their reprimanding her jab. "I... I had not realized. I'm not the best with picking up those kinds of social ques. I should have been more aware. It was careless of me to react the way I did. I've already decided that I want to apologize when we return. I don't want to create bitter relationships with anyone I'm traveling with."

As she finished speaking, what happened next surprised her more than anything.

the knight gently patted the gnome assassin in the head before walking ahead of her.

She didn't say anything about it but the only person, and last person, to pat her atop the head was her adoptive father. It drastically improved her mood from then on, so as she continued forward with everyone else, it was with a smile instead of a glum expression. As such, she decided to be of use, stepping ahead, twisting past webbing. Perhaps one of her more appreciated half-blooded gifts were her glowing eyes. With her father being a creature of the night, she was born with the ability to glimpse a bit more clearly into the shadows. With her sight, she guided the group safely through the maze until color caught her attention.

Amidst the swath of greys that made the forest, there was color popping from the bland surroundings. Reds and yellows and other such colors that, in a different situation, might have been more joyful. Things were looking far more dire than they had before now, especially when the caravan had come into view. She had never seen anything so mangled by webbing. The spiders went to work on this place. "How did this all even get here?" Nora wondered aloud considering the cocoons hanging above.

She had been to a circus before, so she was not surprised by a lot of the color here, but it was the sign of a cage hanging above, the door of which was still closed shut that drew her attention the most.

"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"

Nora simply points to the sign in question which draws the attention of those around. She wanted to get a look. Considering the sign, she half expected a big bug, or perhaps even an actual dragon. Her curiosity made her want to explore even more. Thankfully she was about to be sent up. As she approaches Gsera, she whispers a soft 'thank you,' and 'pardon me' as she begins to climb the drake and eventually be flung upwards. At the very least Nora weighed practically nothing, making the lift near effortless.

Once flung into the air, she gripped a bar of the cage with ease, but the ash caught her attention. She could see it rubbing off onto her fingers. As she swung herself back and forth, climbing further and further up onto the cage, she raises her hands, now covered in the stuff, for the others to see. "Ash. Do any of you see anything bur--..." She stops talking as she looks into the cage only to see a small figure within. From what she could tell, it was a small girl... hopefully not the corpse of a small girl. She looks to the lock of the door, wrapping a leg around a bar to stabilize herself as she picked the lock. This caused the door to swing open on her, but she kept a good enough hold of the door to slip around it and into the cage.

She was so distracted with the idea that there was a girl locked in a cage that she missed many of her obvious features. She lowers a hand, feeling the breath of the child on her palm. The girl was alive! She rushes to the entrance to the cage, looking down towards the others. "There's a survivor," she says in a tone loud enough for the rest of the party but quiet enough that it wouldn't grab the attention of any nearby beasts. Nora would leave the others with that information while she went back to check on the girl, leaning over her as she thought the best way to try and wake her.

Nora gently reached to try and pat the girls cheek, being very careful as she does.

 

[joshuadim]

Gsera had meekly kept herself scrunched up as she followed the others into the woods, as she was stepping straight into the webbed nightmare that was these woods. Every time she spotted a large spider within the tree canopy or the nearby webs as the group advanced, she had to resist the urge to yelp in fear. She tagged along to help, but this was definitely testing her own mettle in dealing with the presence of creatures she had no fondness for. And as it became clear that there were recent victims to this, her own disgust for the creatures grew more intense as she witnessed cocoons and devoured corpses of both the circus members and their attractions.

"By Mathair..." was all she managed to get out as she surveyed the scene before covering her mouth in horror. Yet not all was grim, as she quickly spotted some good news on the ground itself. "Tracks... at least some managed to get away. Hopefully they are safe." she then commented to everyone else, which brought about praise from Alberto. She then stepped forward to continue looking about to see what else they could find from this. A cage that once held a proud lion was now reduced to a desiccated corpse as a throng of spiders feasted on it in the cage's interior left Gsera yet more upset at such a grisly sight and quickly turned away.

Nora then brought everyone's attention to one of the lower hanging cages, which held a sign of its own that was of some curiosity. By request of Alberto, Gsera moved to help Nora get up there. It was a bit difficult for her to balance Nora on her hands before giving a final push up above, but it managed to be done. "Anything?" Gsera then spoke with hushed undertones, trying not to draw attention to the group.

"There's a survivor,"

The news came as both a shock and a relief to Gsera, as this was a bright ray of sunshine within a sea of darkness. "Thank Mathair! Are they hurt? Can you get them down? " she then asked.

 

[FloweryMuffin]

"And this is exactly why I enjoy travelling with you, my friend! Always ready to fight!" said Alberto in response. "Worry not, I doubt we will face many dangers as long as we are careful."

“Why my friend, you never know when your time has come to become the unsuspecting victim of one of those things! It’s deserving of many thanks that enough of us have ventured in we should be able to fend off any meaner fellows.” Korzhev spoke in a lower voice once he found himself within the forest, so as to not attract too many beady gazes upon him. The critters wandering about were not lost to him and he was very much ready to strike them upside the head with his staff if need be.

But Korzhev had to push away thoughts of battling and no sooner they came across the remains of a caravan. He found himself standing next to an empty cage, comfortably wrapped in webs. In truth, the amounts of spider web they have seen so far were copious. So much so that -while being fully aware what exactly it has been used for by the spiders if the cocoons strewn about the clearing weren’t any indication- pulled a little knife out from his belt of tools and pouches and cut some of the web wrapped around the empty cage into long pieces. He fully intended to use them as bandages if the need arose. Moreover, that way, the webs would suddenly gain themselves a purpose that did not involve any death, but rather the very opposite.

After carefully storing away the silk, the old man decided to turn up by Nora and Sera as the two shared the news of having come across a survivor. Having heard Sera’s inquiry about how their survivor fared, he answered instead,

“Now dear, you and I shall see to it that they are no longer hurt, no? Madam Nora, please do check for wounds before moving them down here, will you? We would not want to be the reason for more damage. Because then, we’d be forced to come up!”

 

[Breadman]

Sentry took point for the group that would venture into the woods. Nora being the quick little rogue that she is went to scout ahead. Fine by her, if it means that they would get a fair warning of any danger. The barbarian was no stranger to slaughter, but it was never a pleasant sight. She wondered why Sera was the one to nudge Nora up to the cage, when the tall warrior was right there, but the old man knew best.

There's a survivor

"Carful in there." Sentry called out as she moved in a position near the cage in case she had to catch anyone. Those webbings might hold for now, but how long.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"There's a survivor."

Alberto sighed in relief as the dwarf woman got back into the cage. "Sentry, if worst comes to happen, I trust you'd be able to lift master Calocis, right? He can cast some healing miracle on the survivor." He said without even looking at Calocis. "Syll, Simon, Frost... you three keep an eye on the woods, report any movement coming our way, got it?" The two archers nodded, arrows ready for any threats.

Interacting with: Vexumin Roda the Red Breadman Elenion Aura

 

[Taigakitt]

Chi'sa
"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"
Interacting: Vexumin ​

Swimming in the dark.

Nothing.

Quiet.

Pat, pat.

A soft moan slipped from Chi’sa’s lips as her closed eyelids squeezed tighter at the sudden stimulus against her scaled cheek.

Her consciousness stirred, lazy and staggered at first before all neurons started firing at once.

Memories of the morning flooding back to her in a rush, causing her eyes to jolt open, seeing feet in front of her.

Heart pounding in her ears as a heat rushed to her stomach, her body involuntarily made her sit up and thrash back, using her injured leg for the pushback.

A bad move as she yelped, her honey brown eyes taking in the being that awoke her, her hands reaching for the two piercing wounds on either side of her calf.

Her body shivered as she stuttered in Ællian, “W-who are you?” Her voice was soft-spoken, but there was a harsh rasp as if she injured her vocal cords from screaming. Technically, she did but spitting fire earlier wasn’t helpful.

Tears welled in her eyes as she refused to take them off the stranger that took her out of that empty darkness. A small frame, but her facial features made her think that the other being may not be a child like herself.

Something at the other’s back made Chi’sa freeze, her honey brown eyes slowly melting into something a little more orange.

“P-please don’t kill me.”

 

[Vexumin]

Nora was nothing but surprised when the girl had begun to shift about. It was around this time that her vision began to adjust to this abnormal darkness within the cage as well. Finally she took notice of the girls features. Blonde hair framing a face adorned with scales... scales? As Nora scanned the rest of the girls form, she realized that she missed some very important details, like the redish scales covering the girls body and the long tail.

Part of Nora wanted to yelp in surprise. Part of her wanted to react some way to this oddity, but she could not help but keep silent. Who was she to act surprised about how someone else looked?

“W-who are you?”

“P-please don’t kill me.”

The poor girl was struggling against her fears it seemed. Whatever had happened to the rest of her caravan, or the caravan of her captors, she had managed to evade. Only then did the small woman realize just how threatening she may have looked. A shadowed figure standing over a young girl, with glowing white eyes and blades bound to her back. It'd be only normal to react with fear. She truly looked like her other blood at this point.

Nora responds with raised hands, showing that she was not trying to do anything to the girl. "I-It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you," she says before looking about, wondering how she could calm the girl. "Hey, things don't look very good around here. You've been very brave so far, but I am here to help you. My friends are just outside... and down a little. We'd like to get you somewhere safe. Is that alright?"

Nora offered the most reassuring words she could offer in that moment. She had no idea what the poor girl had gone through thus far, but all she could offer was open hands and gentle words, as well as a hand offered towards the girl. "Are you hurt at all? Do you need help getting up?"

 

[Taigakitt]

Chi'sa
"Szitakötő! - Dragonfly!"
Interacting: Vexumin ​

Eyes carefully watched where the stranger’s hands went, her shivering picking back up again.

"I-It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you,"

As the shadowy stranger tried to sooth the child, said child’s eyes re-solidified back to their normal honey brown. No more liquid orange in sight.

"Hey, things don't look very good around here. You've been very brave so far, but I am here to help you. My friends are just outside... and down a little. We'd like to get you somewhere safe. Is that alright?"

The soft-spoken words and the other’s body language calmed Chi’sa down a little further, but that didn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks as she nodded, her lip quivering.

"Are you hurt at all? Do you need help getting up?"

Chi’sa reached out with her own hand as the stranger held theirs out and grasped carefully. “Thank you,” her voice was quiet. She used the support of the other to help her into standing on the unsteady surface.

As she stood, she avoided putting too much weight on her leg, wincing when she did, but she was able to move with it. “I can walk.”

“Is–” Chi’sa stopped a moment before readjusting her sentence “–Where's everybody else?”

 

[Vexumin]

Thankfully Nora was actually just a short bit taller than the girl, making her perfect for being of assistance with getting her towards the entrance to the cage. She looks out and down towards the others. Nora could tell that Chi'sa had been keeping weight off of a leg and made note of it. "She's awake. Leg's hurt. I'm not sure how to send her down."

“–Where's everybody else?”

As Chi'sa asks this, she helps bring the girl closer to the cage door and points down. "Those spiders really pulled you up pretty high. Just be careful. Not sure how much movement the webbing can take."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"She's awake. Leg's hurt. I'm not sure how to send her down."

Alberto sighed in relief known that the survivor, apparently a girl, was conscious. "Well, we cannot disturb nature so we cannot ask Sera to use roots to get her down, Sentry is too heavy to get there, no offense ma'am... Hmm..." The old knight gently caressed his chin, thinking. "Khorzev, you can jump high and you are relatively light, could you get in there and get her down? Maybe you can use some of your shamanic powers to heal the gir-"

Suddenly, a vibrating sound caught the attention of everyone standing beneath the wagon. "Pero que c-" exclaimed the knight as he pointed his spear at the tenebrous sound - a wolf spider of the size of a pony, that had seemingly charged from the brush, stood in front of Syllannan and Simon, it's front claws lifted up like a spider ready to attack it's prey. Spiders, like most insects, are unable to make sound that are audible to regular ears, but these maelanima mutants were capable of producing a low, cello-like hum that vibrated tenebrously. It's glassy eyes looked straight into Syll and Simon, but a well placed arrow from the archer right between the creatures eyes was enough to kill the large beast.

"Tsk! Bloody disgusting vermin." said the archer as he readied another arrow. "Good one, lad." said the knight, seemingly unaware of the distant rustling and shrieking of distant birds. "Khorzev, can you try to get in there in get her down?" Asked the knight again while looking down at the shaman.

Interacting: Khorzev ( FloweryMuffin ) Sentry ( Breadman ) Noradriia ( Vexumin ) Syllannan ( Roda the Red )


"Gawain..." back in the main company, the undead wizard awaited by the brush at the side of the road, looking towards the copses the others walked into. Edgar Vatrine's voice echoed inside his head, the first time in a while since the ancient Lich had spoken to him. "Remember back in Waterham when you told me you didn't keep up with the auras of your companions?" He asked. "I think it's time for you to start using it more, for as taxing as it might be, it will save the lives of those idiots that walked into the woods... see for yourself."

Gawain normally would ignore the Lich, but just to see what he meant, he casted his ability to see auras, while it certainly had a limited range, Gawain was shocked by what he saw in the distance - the muted auras of his companions, the insignificant auras of the mutated creatures in the trees - and a massive aura, getting closer and closer to them.

Interacting: Gawain ( Dmaster )