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Crônicas de Zandor :: Zandor :: Sétima Era :: From the Ashes
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Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por vzandonadi Ter Jan 26, 2021 7:37 pm
The Arelen clan. The Gàirnealair – the keepers of the forest. The ones that swore fealty to the great druid Cnarëndir Nardul and helped him 54 years ago, when he first decided to become the greatest tree in all Zandor. My clan’s allegiance to the archdruid’s mission ensured that the Arelen would be the ones that would guard and nurture the trees that would grow during the ritual to join the two separated forests at the time.
It was also my clan that first spread the word of how grand was the gesture done by Cnarëndir. This resulted in the Arelen becoming the firsts to gather under the great canopy of the tree that they soon began to call The Great Father. The time spent near the Great Father was a time of meditation. Of communion with nature. Of celebration of life. But also where they would gather all clan and visitors to share stories of times past, to reflect on what once was, and how that could guide us into the future.
This was how my infant years went on. Soon I went from toddling after my mother and tugging on her skirts to trying to match my tiny steps to hers as we went on our rounds along the forest. Our chores were simple enough. We went around checking the health of the trees, gathering fruits when the season was right, and tending to animals that we might find along the way. Maybe this was not entirely safe for a child to be doing, for sometimes we could encounter feral beasts, but my mother judged it to be better for me to be by her side at all times than left at the village with the rest of the children.
Although I was born into the Arelen, I was not entirely of elven blood. My father, as my mother once told me, was a Djinn. Which made me half-elven at best. Unfortunately, I had inherited some attributes from my father’s side that made people a bit uncomfortable around me. A pale grey skin, light eyes that once were almost white, and something that resembles a perpetual air current that prevents my hair from being still. These are qualities that I carry with me to this day.
The only times where I would be around more people than my mother and a few close family members were during the gatherings under the Great Father. And then, I would be too enthralled by the stories that were being spoken to care about the looks that I was receiving.
Growing up reclused in the forest with my mother telling me to listen to the trees made them become my best friends. I put great effort into listening to them. And after a while, I could swear that I was. Soon I began to see images in my mind of the life in the forest that was going on around me without it being directly in front of my eyes. My mind became a refuge and I spent a great deal of time with closed eyes imagining. I believe that this was how I instinctively began to develop my powers, for later in life I began to be able to create tiny images in front of me from the stories I listened to. They were like I pictured them to be. I could control them at will. But only with a great deal of concentration or they were easily broken.
This rapidly became my favourite way of passing the time. I soon began to create my own stories and would later concentrate to make them come true in form of small illusions. This was how my childhood went on and I stepped into adolescence. Now following the steps of my mother weren’t a problem anymore. At times, I would even lead the way.
It came a time where we would celebrate the longest day of the year. This was a ceremony of great importance for us and many visitors had come to join our celebration under the Great Father. It was the first time I saw Morgol’Dul in person. He rose when the time came for the first speaker of the night to be called forth to tell a story. He told us the story of how breaking pride served a great purpose. Of how he willingly sacrificed all his hair, and how his clan wept for hours to produce water and allowed their throne room to be destroyed in the search for good soil. All to restore the Forest of Ashes. I was taken by his words. Captured by his narrative and transported to a time before my time. To me, that felt like the greatest joy of all. It was such an incredible feeling that when he stopped speaking and resumed his seat I felt breathless.
Since that day I felt like my life had been transformed. Now the rounds that I made with my mum where divided between the moments where we would listen for the stories the trees would tell us, and for the moments when we would rest, and I would take on the role of the speaker. I made my mum and all nature around me my spectators. I would tell my stories and use my illusions to enhance my performance. To see the joy in my mother’s eyes as I rose and gesticulated and explored my tales was exhilarating. One day, when I was eighteen and had finished telling her my newest concoction, she suggested with glee in her eyes: “Maybe you should tell a story in front of the entire clan in the next gathering, Faëlyn”. I was immediately taken aback by her words. The idea of exposing myself in front of all those that looked weird at me my entire life seemed to be at the same time extremely incredible and desperately daunting. “Do you think I can to do that?” I asked uncertainly. “I think you’d be marvellous at it”, she answered. And so the days went on.
The day of the next gathering arrived and I went with all the others there. For the first time, our small clan seemed to be a crowd of countless people. The ceremony began and the nervousness was creeping in on me. I could feel my mother’s gaze on me, trying to reassure me that all would be good. But still, I doubted. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t pay attention to the stories that were being told in front of me. I tried to pace my breathing to calm myself. “Listen to the trees” I heard my mother say in my mind as I linked my mind to her. I opened my eyes and I starred, first at her with her kind smile, and then at the biggest tree in front of me. Which was the one that sheltered us all under its branches that night.
The Great Father stood towering over us with its ever-calming presence and so I did what my mother told me. I reached out with my mind for the tree. It is believed that if you put your ear on the trunk of the Great Father you will listen to a faint heartbeat, for the tree is alive. But I had never tried to extend my consciousness to it before, so what came next took me completely off-guard. I was suddenly taken by a feeling of great peace. And there again it was the sound of the rustling of leaves. Slowly I connected myself with it and allowed my breathing to follow their rhythm. And when I was calm enough, when I was ready to return to my own body, I heard an old voice in my mind saying: “seanchaidh”.
Back in my body but with my eyes still closed, I smiled. I wasn’t sure if what had just happened was the fruit of my imagination or not. Regardless of what it could be, I opened my eyes and raised my hand as they were calling forth anyone that would volunteer to come into the midst of the circle to tell them a story. I rose, took a deep breath and went on.
The gasps of surprise for me being the one that had volunteered to tell a story soon were replaced with gasps of shock when I used my first illusion to enhance the show. I could see the proud look in my mother’s eye as she recognised that I was telling one of the stories she used to tell me as an infant, and that served as more fuel for me. With my words and illusions, I cast a veil that enraptured the audience and they all seemed to enjoy it for when it was over they all looked stunned and clapped happily! “Faëlyn where did that come from?”, “Tell another one!”, “You’ve got talent kid”.
After that day my destined was decided. I told my mum that I believed I had heard the Great Father calling me a seanchaidh – a storyteller, and how that must’ve been a blessing in some form. A calling for my true path. She said she recognised the youthful energy that guided me to say such things and that she would not stand in my way, for I was too the son of air and could not be contained.
So, on my nineteenth birthday, I packed my backpack. I went to my mother to bid her farewell, and she said that she had two things very important to give to me. The first was an erhu, an instrument of cords, for as she said: “music is but one way of telling stories”. The second, and she took my face with both her hands and kissed me on the forehead, was her blessing. “For there are few things as powerful as the blessing of a mother on her child”.
And so I set forth on my journey to become a storyteller. Hopefully, the greatest that ever was.
It was also my clan that first spread the word of how grand was the gesture done by Cnarëndir. This resulted in the Arelen becoming the firsts to gather under the great canopy of the tree that they soon began to call The Great Father. The time spent near the Great Father was a time of meditation. Of communion with nature. Of celebration of life. But also where they would gather all clan and visitors to share stories of times past, to reflect on what once was, and how that could guide us into the future.
***
The earliest memory I carry within me is of listening to the rustling of leaves from the surrounding trees, as my mother carried me on a bundle tied to her back through the forest. That was the main sound that would accompany us through the day because my mother preferred it over any other else. Ëlara was her name. Sometimes she would tell me stories during those times. They were of a variety of topics. They could be of her childhood growing up in the Patapatani forest up north, or of different places that she had been before and adventures that she had lived. Once she even told me how she and my father met. Other times she would tell me tales of bravery and great deals from ones that would dare to venture out into the unknown and face the biggest of foes. I would marvel in those times, for usually stories like that one were left to be told when gatherings were happening under the Great Father. But most often than not, she would fall silent again. But not before telling me to listen to the trees: “Listen Faëlyn, for they are the ones that tell the most beautiful stories”. And I would do so. This was how my infant years went on. Soon I went from toddling after my mother and tugging on her skirts to trying to match my tiny steps to hers as we went on our rounds along the forest. Our chores were simple enough. We went around checking the health of the trees, gathering fruits when the season was right, and tending to animals that we might find along the way. Maybe this was not entirely safe for a child to be doing, for sometimes we could encounter feral beasts, but my mother judged it to be better for me to be by her side at all times than left at the village with the rest of the children.
Although I was born into the Arelen, I was not entirely of elven blood. My father, as my mother once told me, was a Djinn. Which made me half-elven at best. Unfortunately, I had inherited some attributes from my father’s side that made people a bit uncomfortable around me. A pale grey skin, light eyes that once were almost white, and something that resembles a perpetual air current that prevents my hair from being still. These are qualities that I carry with me to this day.
The only times where I would be around more people than my mother and a few close family members were during the gatherings under the Great Father. And then, I would be too enthralled by the stories that were being spoken to care about the looks that I was receiving.
Growing up reclused in the forest with my mother telling me to listen to the trees made them become my best friends. I put great effort into listening to them. And after a while, I could swear that I was. Soon I began to see images in my mind of the life in the forest that was going on around me without it being directly in front of my eyes. My mind became a refuge and I spent a great deal of time with closed eyes imagining. I believe that this was how I instinctively began to develop my powers, for later in life I began to be able to create tiny images in front of me from the stories I listened to. They were like I pictured them to be. I could control them at will. But only with a great deal of concentration or they were easily broken.
This rapidly became my favourite way of passing the time. I soon began to create my own stories and would later concentrate to make them come true in form of small illusions. This was how my childhood went on and I stepped into adolescence. Now following the steps of my mother weren’t a problem anymore. At times, I would even lead the way.
It came a time where we would celebrate the longest day of the year. This was a ceremony of great importance for us and many visitors had come to join our celebration under the Great Father. It was the first time I saw Morgol’Dul in person. He rose when the time came for the first speaker of the night to be called forth to tell a story. He told us the story of how breaking pride served a great purpose. Of how he willingly sacrificed all his hair, and how his clan wept for hours to produce water and allowed their throne room to be destroyed in the search for good soil. All to restore the Forest of Ashes. I was taken by his words. Captured by his narrative and transported to a time before my time. To me, that felt like the greatest joy of all. It was such an incredible feeling that when he stopped speaking and resumed his seat I felt breathless.
Since that day I felt like my life had been transformed. Now the rounds that I made with my mum where divided between the moments where we would listen for the stories the trees would tell us, and for the moments when we would rest, and I would take on the role of the speaker. I made my mum and all nature around me my spectators. I would tell my stories and use my illusions to enhance my performance. To see the joy in my mother’s eyes as I rose and gesticulated and explored my tales was exhilarating. One day, when I was eighteen and had finished telling her my newest concoction, she suggested with glee in her eyes: “Maybe you should tell a story in front of the entire clan in the next gathering, Faëlyn”. I was immediately taken aback by her words. The idea of exposing myself in front of all those that looked weird at me my entire life seemed to be at the same time extremely incredible and desperately daunting. “Do you think I can to do that?” I asked uncertainly. “I think you’d be marvellous at it”, she answered. And so the days went on.
The day of the next gathering arrived and I went with all the others there. For the first time, our small clan seemed to be a crowd of countless people. The ceremony began and the nervousness was creeping in on me. I could feel my mother’s gaze on me, trying to reassure me that all would be good. But still, I doubted. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t pay attention to the stories that were being told in front of me. I tried to pace my breathing to calm myself. “Listen to the trees” I heard my mother say in my mind as I linked my mind to her. I opened my eyes and I starred, first at her with her kind smile, and then at the biggest tree in front of me. Which was the one that sheltered us all under its branches that night.
The Great Father stood towering over us with its ever-calming presence and so I did what my mother told me. I reached out with my mind for the tree. It is believed that if you put your ear on the trunk of the Great Father you will listen to a faint heartbeat, for the tree is alive. But I had never tried to extend my consciousness to it before, so what came next took me completely off-guard. I was suddenly taken by a feeling of great peace. And there again it was the sound of the rustling of leaves. Slowly I connected myself with it and allowed my breathing to follow their rhythm. And when I was calm enough, when I was ready to return to my own body, I heard an old voice in my mind saying: “seanchaidh”.
Back in my body but with my eyes still closed, I smiled. I wasn’t sure if what had just happened was the fruit of my imagination or not. Regardless of what it could be, I opened my eyes and raised my hand as they were calling forth anyone that would volunteer to come into the midst of the circle to tell them a story. I rose, took a deep breath and went on.
The gasps of surprise for me being the one that had volunteered to tell a story soon were replaced with gasps of shock when I used my first illusion to enhance the show. I could see the proud look in my mother’s eye as she recognised that I was telling one of the stories she used to tell me as an infant, and that served as more fuel for me. With my words and illusions, I cast a veil that enraptured the audience and they all seemed to enjoy it for when it was over they all looked stunned and clapped happily! “Faëlyn where did that come from?”, “Tell another one!”, “You’ve got talent kid”.
After that day my destined was decided. I told my mum that I believed I had heard the Great Father calling me a seanchaidh – a storyteller, and how that must’ve been a blessing in some form. A calling for my true path. She said she recognised the youthful energy that guided me to say such things and that she would not stand in my way, for I was too the son of air and could not be contained.
So, on my nineteenth birthday, I packed my backpack. I went to my mother to bid her farewell, and she said that she had two things very important to give to me. The first was an erhu, an instrument of cords, for as she said: “music is but one way of telling stories”. The second, and she took my face with both her hands and kissed me on the forehead, was her blessing. “For there are few things as powerful as the blessing of a mother on her child”.
And so I set forth on my journey to become a storyteller. Hopefully, the greatest that ever was.
vzandonadi- Kobold Slayer
- Mensagens : 7
Data de inscrição : 23/01/2021
Felipe Savino gosta desta mensagem
Re: Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por Felipe Savino Qua Jan 27, 2021 2:51 pm
Well written, Extra Benny on first session!
Felipe Savino- Dungeon Master
- Mensagens : 187
Data de inscrição : 28/11/2016
Idade : 34
Localização : Cuiabá -
vzandonadi gosta desta mensagem
Re: Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por vzandonadi Sáb Fev 06, 2021 2:21 pm
The Arrival at Havdrar
I need to work on my people's skills. I noticed that dealing with the owner of a tavern is far different than trying to obtain information from potential suspects of a crime.
My arrival at Havdrar was met with a fair-weather day. The open market was giving life to the streets of the small town. Merchants were screaming to attract the attention of potential buyers that were strolling by their stands. Fish, meat, flowers, candles and trinkets were on display.
Thirsty as I was from travelling the Pine Road, I immediately asked about the best place where I could grab a fresh mug of ale to relieve me of my current state. "You can rest at the Gentle Lake Inn, Sir". – Said a Merchant. "But if what you are looking for is good ale and fun, the Tipsy Tap is the place I'd recommend".
What I learnt on my observations in Greenborough and Woodland Lane, as I sat and watched people dealing with tavern owners seemed to be a universal truth. Because Frida, the owner of the Tipsy Tap, seemed very pleased with a bit of flattery and a sprinkle of gallantry. Treating her in that way was enough to earn me a discount for the day on my ale and the happy coincidence of being introduced to a group of travellers that, like me, were mostly new to town.
The stoic Estos. The strikingly beautiful Zora, accompanied by her pup Penn. And Nirith, the unimpressed Tiefling.
As a storyteller, few things are as pleasant as being introduced to people with potential stories to share. And this group was bustling with untold stories.
Estos quickly jumped to tell his. He is a knight that lives by well-set moral conduct. His weapon is his pride, but his words are his honour.
Zora, a human with a beauty that equals to the elves. Seemed to be as strong as beautiful and guarding secrets behind eyes that at the same time beg to be left alone and challenge you to defy her truth.
Nirith, quiet and not very interest in sharing much. Dressed as someone that knows her way around weapons and combat.
Could I ask for a better group to be introduced? No sir. I needed to stay close to them. I could sense that great stories would follow these individuals. I had to stick around.
I was right, for not very long after we got together, we were introduced with the offer of a job. It was all Frida's doing. She seemed to see something in us as well. Again she introduced us to someone that had something different to his bearings. Havi, the solemn butcher of the town. He was to accompany us on the job, seeing that he had already agreed on doing it himself.
The job in hand was to look for a band of thieves. Or rather a group of individuals that attempted to steal a cart. But failed to complete the task. It was either for us to bring them captives or their bodies. We all agreed that killing seemed a bit exaggerated for something that they failed to accomplish. Although, I must say that Nirith didn't seem to be very disturbed by the idea of killing.
So we departed northeast. The direction where the bandits had fled the other night.
It wasn't the first time that I had to be stealthy while stalking something. Having grown up in a forest, I sometimes helped my mother to track animals. But it was the first time that what I was pursuing was a group of people. I could feel the butterflies flying inside me. Different for the rest of the group, I was by far the most unprepared to be there. I did my best to mimic Havi's movements. He seemed the most experienced with stalking prey and was also the one that took charge of our expedition.
Some hours later we found a group of individuals camping by trees. We ambushed them and were able to subdue their group with only the well-spoken words of Estos and the menacing figures of Zora, Havi and Nirith. I hid until the end of the conflict.
The group that we captured weren't giving in to our accusations. I did my best to outsmart them and make them confess by mistake. When that didn't seem to work, I began to wonder if we had indeed captured the right people. So, I kept talking to them, assuming it would give them ways to construct a story they could use to talk their way out of jail later on. It became clear that talking to potential bandits was far more intricate then dealing with Frida and getting cheap ale.
We kept heading on our way back to Havdrar until we heard hooves approaching fast. We soon realised that some creatures were upon us. I tried to hide us using my illusions, but I failed to do so. The rest of the group got ready for the possible assault.
Part of me was excited. I would see them in action. A story unfolding right in front of my eyes. But at the same time, I was taken by this urge to try to protect the group of people that were with me. I had already failed in covering us with illusions, what else could I do? So my instincts kicked in and I thought "well, divert their attention, then". So I flew.
I flew high enough to see that what was coming in our direction were two bull-like creatures but covered in some metallic armour. I went in and tried to call the attention of the beasts to me. Only one fell for my trick, but that was better than nothing. Surely they could handle one of those by themselves. And I flew away. Always taunting and calling the bull's attention to me. To make sure that it wouldn't head back to the group. Eventually, I hid in a canopy of a tree and waited for a while. I cursed myself for missing all the potential action that was happening with the rest of the party. And yet, at the same time prayed for the Great Father to protect them from harm.
I waited for the bull that was chasing me to be distracted before I headed back to the group. When I got there, the group was standing around the severed head of the other creature. "Well, I will be damned", I thought as I got close to them. " I was so eager to see what stories would happen by sticking around with all of you. But when the danger showed I flew away and missed all the action. Look at what you've done!" – I complained.
"Maybe this means you need to be in the story to see it happen", – said Zora.
We headed back to Havdrar where we would present the bandits to the authorities to be judged and hopefully would have a cold mug of ale to wash away the sweat of fighting wild creatures of surviving to tell the tale. Who knew that such beasts lived around there.
My arrival at Havdrar was met with a fair-weather day. The open market was giving life to the streets of the small town. Merchants were screaming to attract the attention of potential buyers that were strolling by their stands. Fish, meat, flowers, candles and trinkets were on display.
Thirsty as I was from travelling the Pine Road, I immediately asked about the best place where I could grab a fresh mug of ale to relieve me of my current state. "You can rest at the Gentle Lake Inn, Sir". – Said a Merchant. "But if what you are looking for is good ale and fun, the Tipsy Tap is the place I'd recommend".
What I learnt on my observations in Greenborough and Woodland Lane, as I sat and watched people dealing with tavern owners seemed to be a universal truth. Because Frida, the owner of the Tipsy Tap, seemed very pleased with a bit of flattery and a sprinkle of gallantry. Treating her in that way was enough to earn me a discount for the day on my ale and the happy coincidence of being introduced to a group of travellers that, like me, were mostly new to town.
The stoic Estos. The strikingly beautiful Zora, accompanied by her pup Penn. And Nirith, the unimpressed Tiefling.
As a storyteller, few things are as pleasant as being introduced to people with potential stories to share. And this group was bustling with untold stories.
Estos quickly jumped to tell his. He is a knight that lives by well-set moral conduct. His weapon is his pride, but his words are his honour.
Zora, a human with a beauty that equals to the elves. Seemed to be as strong as beautiful and guarding secrets behind eyes that at the same time beg to be left alone and challenge you to defy her truth.
Nirith, quiet and not very interest in sharing much. Dressed as someone that knows her way around weapons and combat.
Could I ask for a better group to be introduced? No sir. I needed to stay close to them. I could sense that great stories would follow these individuals. I had to stick around.
I was right, for not very long after we got together, we were introduced with the offer of a job. It was all Frida's doing. She seemed to see something in us as well. Again she introduced us to someone that had something different to his bearings. Havi, the solemn butcher of the town. He was to accompany us on the job, seeing that he had already agreed on doing it himself.
The job in hand was to look for a band of thieves. Or rather a group of individuals that attempted to steal a cart. But failed to complete the task. It was either for us to bring them captives or their bodies. We all agreed that killing seemed a bit exaggerated for something that they failed to accomplish. Although, I must say that Nirith didn't seem to be very disturbed by the idea of killing.
So we departed northeast. The direction where the bandits had fled the other night.
It wasn't the first time that I had to be stealthy while stalking something. Having grown up in a forest, I sometimes helped my mother to track animals. But it was the first time that what I was pursuing was a group of people. I could feel the butterflies flying inside me. Different for the rest of the group, I was by far the most unprepared to be there. I did my best to mimic Havi's movements. He seemed the most experienced with stalking prey and was also the one that took charge of our expedition.
Some hours later we found a group of individuals camping by trees. We ambushed them and were able to subdue their group with only the well-spoken words of Estos and the menacing figures of Zora, Havi and Nirith. I hid until the end of the conflict.
The group that we captured weren't giving in to our accusations. I did my best to outsmart them and make them confess by mistake. When that didn't seem to work, I began to wonder if we had indeed captured the right people. So, I kept talking to them, assuming it would give them ways to construct a story they could use to talk their way out of jail later on. It became clear that talking to potential bandits was far more intricate then dealing with Frida and getting cheap ale.
We kept heading on our way back to Havdrar until we heard hooves approaching fast. We soon realised that some creatures were upon us. I tried to hide us using my illusions, but I failed to do so. The rest of the group got ready for the possible assault.
Part of me was excited. I would see them in action. A story unfolding right in front of my eyes. But at the same time, I was taken by this urge to try to protect the group of people that were with me. I had already failed in covering us with illusions, what else could I do? So my instincts kicked in and I thought "well, divert their attention, then". So I flew.
I flew high enough to see that what was coming in our direction were two bull-like creatures but covered in some metallic armour. I went in and tried to call the attention of the beasts to me. Only one fell for my trick, but that was better than nothing. Surely they could handle one of those by themselves. And I flew away. Always taunting and calling the bull's attention to me. To make sure that it wouldn't head back to the group. Eventually, I hid in a canopy of a tree and waited for a while. I cursed myself for missing all the potential action that was happening with the rest of the party. And yet, at the same time prayed for the Great Father to protect them from harm.
I waited for the bull that was chasing me to be distracted before I headed back to the group. When I got there, the group was standing around the severed head of the other creature. "Well, I will be damned", I thought as I got close to them. " I was so eager to see what stories would happen by sticking around with all of you. But when the danger showed I flew away and missed all the action. Look at what you've done!" – I complained.
"Maybe this means you need to be in the story to see it happen", – said Zora.
We headed back to Havdrar where we would present the bandits to the authorities to be judged and hopefully would have a cold mug of ale to wash away the sweat of fighting wild creatures of surviving to tell the tale. Who knew that such beasts lived around there.
*the story will continue from here*
vzandonadi- Kobold Slayer
- Mensagens : 7
Data de inscrição : 23/01/2021
Felipe Savino gosta desta mensagem
Re: Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por Felipe Savino Sáb Fev 06, 2021 2:55 pm
Nice storytelling!! I'm eager to read the next part. Extra benny today!
Felipe Savino- Dungeon Master
- Mensagens : 187
Data de inscrição : 28/11/2016
Idade : 34
Localização : Cuiabá -
vzandonadi gosta desta mensagem
Re: Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por vzandonadi Sáb Fev 20, 2021 2:56 pm
Crashing Hooves
We arrived at Havdrar close to dusk. The exchange of the bandits at the townhouse happened peacefully. Chief Derrick Hands was there and overlooked the entire situation. The Chief told us that he wouldn't call on Greg Jonhson right away. Greg was famous for his bloodthirsty ways. He surely would demand the execution of the bandits right away. Not only would that be too drastic, but it was also the day before the end of the month. And we all knew that things didn't work on that day. So, the bandits were to stay in custody for the day, and when the morrow comes, they would be judged for the crimes that they were being accused of attempting.
Estos promptly asked if he could be there to see how the trial would go. And I followed his example. Being a man that portrayed himself with such honourable conduct, I believe he wanted to be sure it would be a fair trial. I only volunteered to be present because I hadn't seen a trial in person before. And as a storyteller, that seemed like an opportunity that I couldn't miss.
With our pockets heavy with silver, we all headed back to the Tipsy Tap.
The evening progressed just fine. Who knew that completing a job like that would put the group in such good spirits. We ordered a flask of ale just for us and drank it all. At one point, Nirith excused herself and rushed back to the closing marked. She returned with a beautiful hunting hawk perched on her arm. We all saluted her new friend and drank to that. But Frida was not happy when asked for another undercooked pie to feed the animals. "This is not a place for animals!" said Frida losing her gracious composture.
Despite Frida's outburst, we all lingered there for a little longer. When it was time to go, Estos, being the gentleman that he is, suggested to Zora that she and Penumbra could sleep at his place. He didn't think Frida would rent her a room after the display he had witnessed. Havi followed suit, saying his goodbyes and departing to his house. Nirith managed to find herself a room at the Tipsy Tap and excused herself, leaving just me to finish the last of the ale.
I was also going to stay at the tavern. Frida had assured me that she had rooms to rent. So I stayed at the tavern drinking and listening to the rumble of distant conversation that surrounded me.
Not long passed, and my trance was interrupted by another of Frida's clientele. "Oh, kind sir, what is it that you carry with you?" he asked happily. "Is that an instrument? Are you a performer?".
I must have had a vast amount of ale up to that point because not only I engaged with the stranger's conversation. I also agreed to perform for him.
I picked the Ehru and adjusted it in a way that it would sit comfortably against my body. Slowly I passed the bow through the strings, creating a clear single musical note. A big smile opened in the face of my first spectator. Seeing that sparked something within me. Note after note I went on. Soon I was playing through a familiar melody of one of my mum's favourite lullabies.
As time passed, more people stopped chattering and focused on me. I could swear that I even saw a couple swaying to the ballad that I was playing. I was engulfed in a warm feeling of peace and joy. I couldn't tell anymore if what I was feeling was from the amount of alcohol in me or if that was pure ecstasy from playing.
I performed until the late hours of the night when the tavern was about to close.
That night I slept like a baby.
It was already noon when I rose the next day. My head throbbed a bit, reminding me that drinking that much doesn't come without consequences. But the memory of last night's spectacle still lingered, and all seemed worth it.
Havdrar was bustling with life again. The market was alive. People were going around enjoying themselves, shoppers were shouting trying to grab the attention of the ones passing by, kids were running around giggling, and the sun shone brightly up above. I saw the familiar faces of Zora, Estos, Nirith and Havi. All was well.
A piercing scream cut the air. Someone was shouting from afar. It seemed to be getting closer by the second. People started to look concerned around themselves trying to recognise where the noise was coming from. The crowd started rushing towards the ruckus.
Havi was the first to arrive at the scene. When I got there, I only saw him bolting towards the direction I assumed, what I now saw was a woman covered in blood and screaming, had come from. Zora, Penumbra and Estos dashed following Havi. They seemed to understand that there was danger somewhere.
I wanted to understand what was happening first. I approached the woman that was screaming trying to calm her and get information. But I saw that I wouldn't be able to talk to her that way. So I put both of my hands around her shoulder and squeezed it firmly. "Show me what happened to you," I asked.
As soon as I established the mind link, a torrent of images flooded my mind. A happy family, shouts, a herd of centaurs, crashing wood, a toppled cart, blood, screaming, fire, despair, death. All at once, it came to me. How this woman had her life turned into a nightmare. She and her family were attacked by a herd of more than thirty crazy centaurs that weren't interested in anything but killing and ruining lives. Her children were slain and burnt with the cart. Her husband was captured, likely to be had as food later on. She was left alive to tell the tale of the terrible fate that had befallen her kin.
I pulled away from her mind and looked at the poor woman's face. There was nothing more that I could do for her. But the others needed to know what they are going to face. "Someone, please, take this woman to safety", I shouted without looking behind me to see if someone had heard me and ran after the others that had boldly dashed forward into danger.
I ran as fast as I could. Soon I could see the shapes of Zora and Estos ahead of me. I shouted, signalling to them that I was following behind and had information. "You are mad to be running into something without knowing what it is!" I scolded them when I was near enough to be heard. It was them that Nirith sprung from the houses next to us and joined the group. I relayed all the information that I had discovered from the woman to them. "Havi can't face thirty centaurs by himself. It's madness! I am not sure we can save the husband of the poor woman, but we should try to save Havi from going on a suicide hunt", I said desperately.
Had seen the imagens directly from her mind, it wasn't hard for us to go back to where it all had happened. The gruesome scene presented itself to us. There was no time for us to bury the children now. Not if we wanted to get to Havi in time.
Luckily, it was easy to follow the tracks of the herd. They weren't trying to be stealth in any way, and the marks of their hooves guide us towards the Thundering Woods.
After a while, we were able to reunite with Havi. He seemed to have stopped his chase and was trying to check for scouts ahead. "You, flying boy, come up here and try to look ahead and see if you can see anything!" he ordered me. He didn't seem to care in hearing any of my attempts at explaining to him how that was dangerous and how we should head back to Havdrar. He seemed to be familiar with the leader of the Centaurs. Calitheme. "If I have the chance, you better be sure that I will put two of my arrows through the eyes of that bitch". Spitted out Havi.
There didn't seem to be much left for me to do. I could either leave and let them fend for themselves. Which I am sure they were capable of. Or I could try to help them survive this insane attempt of rescuing mission. So I did as I was told. I flew to the canopy of trees and looked for any incoming dangers. I was able to make us avoid the first of the centaurs scouting parties. But I wasn't that lucky the second time around.
"They are coming! Quick, hide". I warned my friends as six centaurs came our way. We hid until they were upon us. Then, we attacked.
Everything happened fast. To fast for me to track. Soon I was firing mental arrows at one centaur that had attempted to shoot me with an arrow of his own. I was surprisingly better than him, for my strike was lethal and he fell on the floor. I barely had time to take a breath when I saw that Nirith was being attacked. She was bleeding but was still dangling from the tree. I wanted to distract the mad creature that assailed her. He was surely going to be her death. So I did what I thought would make it more distracted. I flew down and mounted on top of his back. In retrospect, I reckon that I shouldn't have done it. It only made it madly angry at me. I could feel the arrows from my comrades flying way too close to my face as they tried to take the creature down. So I closed my eyes.
When I dared to open them again, the battle was over. Nirith was on top of the centaur that had been captured earlier and was bleeding from her wounds. I also thought that Zora was hurt because she was covered in blood, but I soon realised that it wasn't hers.
We all went to Nirith's aid. I offered my first aid kit to try to treat her wounds. Havi did a fairly good job at first, but he said he couldn't finish it all the way through. I, having helped my mother treat animals before, offered to help. I shouldn't have. I managed to undo the little that Havi had done. That made Nirith start bleeding all over again. Luckily Zora tried to do something, and Estos helped her. So they were able to fix the mess I had made.
I apologised profusely to Nirith. But to me, that was just an omen showing how fucked up we were. Because having one party member injured wasn't enough to dissuade them from going after the centaurs.
Estos promptly asked if he could be there to see how the trial would go. And I followed his example. Being a man that portrayed himself with such honourable conduct, I believe he wanted to be sure it would be a fair trial. I only volunteered to be present because I hadn't seen a trial in person before. And as a storyteller, that seemed like an opportunity that I couldn't miss.
With our pockets heavy with silver, we all headed back to the Tipsy Tap.
The evening progressed just fine. Who knew that completing a job like that would put the group in such good spirits. We ordered a flask of ale just for us and drank it all. At one point, Nirith excused herself and rushed back to the closing marked. She returned with a beautiful hunting hawk perched on her arm. We all saluted her new friend and drank to that. But Frida was not happy when asked for another undercooked pie to feed the animals. "This is not a place for animals!" said Frida losing her gracious composture.
Despite Frida's outburst, we all lingered there for a little longer. When it was time to go, Estos, being the gentleman that he is, suggested to Zora that she and Penumbra could sleep at his place. He didn't think Frida would rent her a room after the display he had witnessed. Havi followed suit, saying his goodbyes and departing to his house. Nirith managed to find herself a room at the Tipsy Tap and excused herself, leaving just me to finish the last of the ale.
I was also going to stay at the tavern. Frida had assured me that she had rooms to rent. So I stayed at the tavern drinking and listening to the rumble of distant conversation that surrounded me.
Not long passed, and my trance was interrupted by another of Frida's clientele. "Oh, kind sir, what is it that you carry with you?" he asked happily. "Is that an instrument? Are you a performer?".
I must have had a vast amount of ale up to that point because not only I engaged with the stranger's conversation. I also agreed to perform for him.
I picked the Ehru and adjusted it in a way that it would sit comfortably against my body. Slowly I passed the bow through the strings, creating a clear single musical note. A big smile opened in the face of my first spectator. Seeing that sparked something within me. Note after note I went on. Soon I was playing through a familiar melody of one of my mum's favourite lullabies.
As time passed, more people stopped chattering and focused on me. I could swear that I even saw a couple swaying to the ballad that I was playing. I was engulfed in a warm feeling of peace and joy. I couldn't tell anymore if what I was feeling was from the amount of alcohol in me or if that was pure ecstasy from playing.
I performed until the late hours of the night when the tavern was about to close.
That night I slept like a baby.
It was already noon when I rose the next day. My head throbbed a bit, reminding me that drinking that much doesn't come without consequences. But the memory of last night's spectacle still lingered, and all seemed worth it.
Havdrar was bustling with life again. The market was alive. People were going around enjoying themselves, shoppers were shouting trying to grab the attention of the ones passing by, kids were running around giggling, and the sun shone brightly up above. I saw the familiar faces of Zora, Estos, Nirith and Havi. All was well.
A piercing scream cut the air. Someone was shouting from afar. It seemed to be getting closer by the second. People started to look concerned around themselves trying to recognise where the noise was coming from. The crowd started rushing towards the ruckus.
Havi was the first to arrive at the scene. When I got there, I only saw him bolting towards the direction I assumed, what I now saw was a woman covered in blood and screaming, had come from. Zora, Penumbra and Estos dashed following Havi. They seemed to understand that there was danger somewhere.
I wanted to understand what was happening first. I approached the woman that was screaming trying to calm her and get information. But I saw that I wouldn't be able to talk to her that way. So I put both of my hands around her shoulder and squeezed it firmly. "Show me what happened to you," I asked.
As soon as I established the mind link, a torrent of images flooded my mind. A happy family, shouts, a herd of centaurs, crashing wood, a toppled cart, blood, screaming, fire, despair, death. All at once, it came to me. How this woman had her life turned into a nightmare. She and her family were attacked by a herd of more than thirty crazy centaurs that weren't interested in anything but killing and ruining lives. Her children were slain and burnt with the cart. Her husband was captured, likely to be had as food later on. She was left alive to tell the tale of the terrible fate that had befallen her kin.
I pulled away from her mind and looked at the poor woman's face. There was nothing more that I could do for her. But the others needed to know what they are going to face. "Someone, please, take this woman to safety", I shouted without looking behind me to see if someone had heard me and ran after the others that had boldly dashed forward into danger.
I ran as fast as I could. Soon I could see the shapes of Zora and Estos ahead of me. I shouted, signalling to them that I was following behind and had information. "You are mad to be running into something without knowing what it is!" I scolded them when I was near enough to be heard. It was them that Nirith sprung from the houses next to us and joined the group. I relayed all the information that I had discovered from the woman to them. "Havi can't face thirty centaurs by himself. It's madness! I am not sure we can save the husband of the poor woman, but we should try to save Havi from going on a suicide hunt", I said desperately.
Had seen the imagens directly from her mind, it wasn't hard for us to go back to where it all had happened. The gruesome scene presented itself to us. There was no time for us to bury the children now. Not if we wanted to get to Havi in time.
Luckily, it was easy to follow the tracks of the herd. They weren't trying to be stealth in any way, and the marks of their hooves guide us towards the Thundering Woods.
After a while, we were able to reunite with Havi. He seemed to have stopped his chase and was trying to check for scouts ahead. "You, flying boy, come up here and try to look ahead and see if you can see anything!" he ordered me. He didn't seem to care in hearing any of my attempts at explaining to him how that was dangerous and how we should head back to Havdrar. He seemed to be familiar with the leader of the Centaurs. Calitheme. "If I have the chance, you better be sure that I will put two of my arrows through the eyes of that bitch". Spitted out Havi.
There didn't seem to be much left for me to do. I could either leave and let them fend for themselves. Which I am sure they were capable of. Or I could try to help them survive this insane attempt of rescuing mission. So I did as I was told. I flew to the canopy of trees and looked for any incoming dangers. I was able to make us avoid the first of the centaurs scouting parties. But I wasn't that lucky the second time around.
"They are coming! Quick, hide". I warned my friends as six centaurs came our way. We hid until they were upon us. Then, we attacked.
Everything happened fast. To fast for me to track. Soon I was firing mental arrows at one centaur that had attempted to shoot me with an arrow of his own. I was surprisingly better than him, for my strike was lethal and he fell on the floor. I barely had time to take a breath when I saw that Nirith was being attacked. She was bleeding but was still dangling from the tree. I wanted to distract the mad creature that assailed her. He was surely going to be her death. So I did what I thought would make it more distracted. I flew down and mounted on top of his back. In retrospect, I reckon that I shouldn't have done it. It only made it madly angry at me. I could feel the arrows from my comrades flying way too close to my face as they tried to take the creature down. So I closed my eyes.
When I dared to open them again, the battle was over. Nirith was on top of the centaur that had been captured earlier and was bleeding from her wounds. I also thought that Zora was hurt because she was covered in blood, but I soon realised that it wasn't hers.
We all went to Nirith's aid. I offered my first aid kit to try to treat her wounds. Havi did a fairly good job at first, but he said he couldn't finish it all the way through. I, having helped my mother treat animals before, offered to help. I shouldn't have. I managed to undo the little that Havi had done. That made Nirith start bleeding all over again. Luckily Zora tried to do something, and Estos helped her. So they were able to fix the mess I had made.
I apologised profusely to Nirith. But to me, that was just an omen showing how fucked up we were. Because having one party member injured wasn't enough to dissuade them from going after the centaurs.
* The story will continue from here*
vzandonadi- Kobold Slayer
- Mensagens : 7
Data de inscrição : 23/01/2021
Felipe Savino gosta desta mensagem
Felipe Savino- Dungeon Master
- Mensagens : 187
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Localização : Cuiabá -
Re: Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por vzandonadi Sáb Abr 10, 2021 2:57 pm
A Mission Ahead
Our speeches made an impact. The public, in general, was muttering amongst themselves about what we had suggested. Even the party judged seemed intrigued by what we had just proposed. Surely going on a mission was better than being imprisoned.
Chief Hands took a moment to deliberate his judgement. In the end, he agreed to it. Although, it was up to Thorun's party to accept it or not.
The dwarf asked for a moment in private with his mates. "Aye, we agree with this decision. We will join you in this search of this Calitheme that you speak of".
Together we left the building. We would head out to the woods after lunch. That would give us plenty of time to gather the supplies we needed.
Havi came with me to the general store.
Laria was surprised. "Well, back so soon?" She asked.
"Yes. It turns out we are heading out on a new adventure already. I came looking for any healing kit that you might have available." I answered with high spirits.
"Oh, give me a moment while I look for those, will you?!" And she went to her storeroom.
A short time passed when she came holding a vail of a greenish liquid in her hands. "I am afraid I am out of what you want. But I did find this vial of acid. Maybe you'd be interested in it?" Laria asked, showing the vial to me.
My mind quickly ran through the many possible scenarios in which I could use such a thing. It seemed to me that being an adventurer was all about being resourceful. So I accepted her offer and bought the vial. "Laria, you are such a good saleswoman. Let me give you a heads up about what might happen in town once we are gone. You might benefit from it!" And I explained to her that we ensured that going after Calitheme might bring their wrath upon Havdrar. So it would be good if they began to fortify the town. "You might get yourself a supply of materials that would be good to sell and benefit. You never know, right?"
"Ah, this is very interesting indeed, Sir! Thank you for letting me know."
Our next stop was at the Tipsy Tap. It figured that we would need all the food I had bought for my extended travelling since now we were such a big group. Havi stayed chatting with Frida by the entrance.
Once I had got everything I needed, I left the room and headed back to the bar. Frida, being all caught up to our new quest, wished me good luck.
"Thank you!" I replied. "Actually, would you might you mind doing me a favour? I just thought that I might die out there and that my mum would never know what happened to her son. So, if I don't return after over two weeks, could you find a way to send my Ehru back to her, telling her what happened to me?"
"Of course I could do that, Faëlyn! But do you think you won't survive? Where should I send it to?" Frida asked, concerned.
"You never know..." I said somberly. "Have you ever heard of The Great Father? The Big Tree to the southeast?" And I gave Frida all the instructions she should follow in case I didn't return.
***
Our tracking through the Woods this time seemed to be much more uneventful than last time. We managed to avoid being affected by the creepiness of it, and the spiders didn't bother us again. But the best part was that there were no centaurs to be found.
By the end of the first day, we reached the camp where we had found Milbrim and first fought Calitheme. It was desert.
This time there was no feral cat-like creature to attack us. So we manage to investigate a bit more.
I found the silver chalice that Calitheme was using on her ritual. It seemed to be pretty standard. No intricate gravings or anything. Just a dark dried liquid in its interior. I smelled it, hoping for blood. But it seemed to be something else. With a smile on my lips, I turned to Havi. "Here, you have a good nose, right. Smell this." I said jokingly and offered him the chalice.
"I am not going to smell that!" He said dryly. "I've already looked at it the last time we were here. It's not blood".
"Well, I know that. But we are investigating! You don't know what you might find. Did you smell it the last time or just looked at it?" I asked.
"Why don't you simply taste it?" He retorted
"I am not doing that. What if it's poisonous! Come on, smell it." And I put the chalice right in front of this face.
Havi begrudgingly takes the chalice from my hands and takes a good sniff at it. After a while, he responds. "It's wine. And not cheap wine. But good wine. The one produced at Buckingwatch."
"Ah-ha! Wine." I exclaimed. "Well, that's quite anti-climactic, to be honest. Does anyone know of rituals that use wine?"
Lyla, the human woman from Thorun's party, replied. "There are many rituals that can be done, in that way. There is a way of using magic to figure out what sort of ritual was cast, but I am afraid I am not schooled in those."
"What if I showed you what she was doing when we found her? There will be no sound, but perhaps you gather something." I suggest while I position myself near the fallen altar and cast daydream. The image of Calitheme shimmers in front of me, just like on the day we first encountered her.
"I can't tell you anything new from that," said Lyla.
"Great, so we know nothing," I say.
We decide that it's better to set up camp now and sleep here than to push further and risk losing light.
***
The second day begins with the party oversleeping. Nirith had too much of a good time during her watch and decided to take a nap. That made us lose some precious time, and there would be no way of reaching the centaurs that day. Havi wasn't pleased.
Luckily everything went well as we trudged through the woods.
It seemed to be a pretty uneventful day until I began to hear a faint whisper drifting through the wind. I immediately stopped the party.
"Are you guys hearing that?"
They all seemed to be unaware of what I was talking about. But as I urged them to listen, they began to hear it too.
"It's saying something," I whispered to the group.
"I hear it, but I don't understand a thing. Are you sure that this is a language?" Asked Estos.
"Yes," I said as I walked towards the little voice.
"Why don't you grow?" The voice echoed over and over again. "You should be growing."
"Who's there?" I asked in the direction of the voice.
A gasp of surprise and the sudden end of the echoing was my response. I saw a little shift on the rock in front of me. Like there was something behind the foliage.
"Who are you?" I asked
" I am me," the little voice replied. "Who are you?"
" Well, I am me too. I mean, a different me. My name is Faëlyn. What's your name?"
"Oh, I am Nutty." It said.
"Hello, Nutty. What are you doing?"
"I am trying to grow a tree. But it won't grow." A shift in the foliage indicated to me that what I thought was covering the creature from my eyes was its real body. It seemed to be a creature made of a bunch of different types of leaves stuck together. It had hazelnuts for its eyes.
A plan forms in my mind.
"Nutty, maybe I can help you! If I give you something that might help you can you answer a question for me?" I ask tentatively.
"What is it?" Little Nutty asked interested.
"I have water with me. Maybe if I pour some water on your seed, it will help it grow. What do you think? You just need to show me the right place for me to pour it."
"Hm... Ok," said Nutty, jumping from the rock and walking towards a spot on the ground in front of me. "Here".
I crouched near the place and took my canteen. I poured some water next to Nutty.
"Ok, I hope this works. Now, here is my question. Do you know in which direction the horse people, the centaurs, are?" I hold my breath expectantly.
"Yes, they are that way," and his little body turns towards what I assumed was southwest. It was a bit hard to tell. But it was the direction of the track we were following anyway.
"Thank you, Nutty!" I said happily. "Now, you have already helped me. But if I give you something, can you give me some other information?"
"What?" Asked the little creature.
I take a little copper piece from my pouch and place it in front of its form.
"What do I do with it?" Nutty asked.
"You buy things. But for you, it's just a gift. So you can remember me. Now, can you answer me something else?"
"Ok"
"What is that make the thundering sounds that we hear all the time?"
"Oh, they are people with horses! Not like the centaurs. But like you, but on horses. They move through things and never seemed to care about beings like me and mine."
"Thank you for the information, Nutty! I hope your seed grow."
I stand up, cleaning my hands from the dirt that stuck to them and turned around to find all my part members looking with odd expressions at me.
"He is not with us," said Nirith to someone from Thorun's party.
I choose to ignore that comment and share with them the news about the location of the centaurs. Havi wasn't very keen on leaving the track we had found. But with a bit of discussion, and some scouting ahead, we came up with a plan.
We would continue following the track for the day, and tomorrow, as we got closer, we would venture through the woods to try and ambush the centaurs at their camp.
***
The third day began at the right time. We didn't trust Nirith to take the final watch this time.
We followed the track as we had agreed to, and then it came the time for me to go ahead and scout again. But this time, I would fly through the woods, in the direction Nutty had shown me on the previous day.
Before I went on my way, I linked my mind with Nirith. This way, I would let them know how far we had to go until we arrived at the centaurs' camp.
The first hour passed with no issues.
"All clear so far, but we were farther away than what we thought. You should start coming, or the link won't maintain for long."
And as the second hour was passing without any issues, I heard in my mind: "Fuck! Faëlyn, come back! We are under attack".
With my heart pounding in my chest, I darted through the woods.
Our speeches made an impact. The public, in general, was muttering amongst themselves about what we had suggested. Even the party judged seemed intrigued by what we had just proposed. Surely going on a mission was better than being imprisoned.
Chief Hands took a moment to deliberate his judgement. In the end, he agreed to it. Although, it was up to Thorun's party to accept it or not.
The dwarf asked for a moment in private with his mates. "Aye, we agree with this decision. We will join you in this search of this Calitheme that you speak of".
Together we left the building. We would head out to the woods after lunch. That would give us plenty of time to gather the supplies we needed.
Havi came with me to the general store.
Laria was surprised. "Well, back so soon?" She asked.
"Yes. It turns out we are heading out on a new adventure already. I came looking for any healing kit that you might have available." I answered with high spirits.
"Oh, give me a moment while I look for those, will you?!" And she went to her storeroom.
A short time passed when she came holding a vail of a greenish liquid in her hands. "I am afraid I am out of what you want. But I did find this vial of acid. Maybe you'd be interested in it?" Laria asked, showing the vial to me.
My mind quickly ran through the many possible scenarios in which I could use such a thing. It seemed to me that being an adventurer was all about being resourceful. So I accepted her offer and bought the vial. "Laria, you are such a good saleswoman. Let me give you a heads up about what might happen in town once we are gone. You might benefit from it!" And I explained to her that we ensured that going after Calitheme might bring their wrath upon Havdrar. So it would be good if they began to fortify the town. "You might get yourself a supply of materials that would be good to sell and benefit. You never know, right?"
"Ah, this is very interesting indeed, Sir! Thank you for letting me know."
Our next stop was at the Tipsy Tap. It figured that we would need all the food I had bought for my extended travelling since now we were such a big group. Havi stayed chatting with Frida by the entrance.
Once I had got everything I needed, I left the room and headed back to the bar. Frida, being all caught up to our new quest, wished me good luck.
"Thank you!" I replied. "Actually, would you might you mind doing me a favour? I just thought that I might die out there and that my mum would never know what happened to her son. So, if I don't return after over two weeks, could you find a way to send my Ehru back to her, telling her what happened to me?"
"Of course I could do that, Faëlyn! But do you think you won't survive? Where should I send it to?" Frida asked, concerned.
"You never know..." I said somberly. "Have you ever heard of The Great Father? The Big Tree to the southeast?" And I gave Frida all the instructions she should follow in case I didn't return.
***
Our tracking through the Woods this time seemed to be much more uneventful than last time. We managed to avoid being affected by the creepiness of it, and the spiders didn't bother us again. But the best part was that there were no centaurs to be found.
By the end of the first day, we reached the camp where we had found Milbrim and first fought Calitheme. It was desert.
This time there was no feral cat-like creature to attack us. So we manage to investigate a bit more.
I found the silver chalice that Calitheme was using on her ritual. It seemed to be pretty standard. No intricate gravings or anything. Just a dark dried liquid in its interior. I smelled it, hoping for blood. But it seemed to be something else. With a smile on my lips, I turned to Havi. "Here, you have a good nose, right. Smell this." I said jokingly and offered him the chalice.
"I am not going to smell that!" He said dryly. "I've already looked at it the last time we were here. It's not blood".
"Well, I know that. But we are investigating! You don't know what you might find. Did you smell it the last time or just looked at it?" I asked.
"Why don't you simply taste it?" He retorted
"I am not doing that. What if it's poisonous! Come on, smell it." And I put the chalice right in front of this face.
Havi begrudgingly takes the chalice from my hands and takes a good sniff at it. After a while, he responds. "It's wine. And not cheap wine. But good wine. The one produced at Buckingwatch."
"Ah-ha! Wine." I exclaimed. "Well, that's quite anti-climactic, to be honest. Does anyone know of rituals that use wine?"
Lyla, the human woman from Thorun's party, replied. "There are many rituals that can be done, in that way. There is a way of using magic to figure out what sort of ritual was cast, but I am afraid I am not schooled in those."
"What if I showed you what she was doing when we found her? There will be no sound, but perhaps you gather something." I suggest while I position myself near the fallen altar and cast daydream. The image of Calitheme shimmers in front of me, just like on the day we first encountered her.
"I can't tell you anything new from that," said Lyla.
"Great, so we know nothing," I say.
We decide that it's better to set up camp now and sleep here than to push further and risk losing light.
***
The second day begins with the party oversleeping. Nirith had too much of a good time during her watch and decided to take a nap. That made us lose some precious time, and there would be no way of reaching the centaurs that day. Havi wasn't pleased.
Luckily everything went well as we trudged through the woods.
It seemed to be a pretty uneventful day until I began to hear a faint whisper drifting through the wind. I immediately stopped the party.
"Are you guys hearing that?"
They all seemed to be unaware of what I was talking about. But as I urged them to listen, they began to hear it too.
"It's saying something," I whispered to the group.
"I hear it, but I don't understand a thing. Are you sure that this is a language?" Asked Estos.
"Yes," I said as I walked towards the little voice.
"Why don't you grow?" The voice echoed over and over again. "You should be growing."
"Who's there?" I asked in the direction of the voice.
A gasp of surprise and the sudden end of the echoing was my response. I saw a little shift on the rock in front of me. Like there was something behind the foliage.
"Who are you?" I asked
" I am me," the little voice replied. "Who are you?"
" Well, I am me too. I mean, a different me. My name is Faëlyn. What's your name?"
"Oh, I am Nutty." It said.
"Hello, Nutty. What are you doing?"
"I am trying to grow a tree. But it won't grow." A shift in the foliage indicated to me that what I thought was covering the creature from my eyes was its real body. It seemed to be a creature made of a bunch of different types of leaves stuck together. It had hazelnuts for its eyes.
A plan forms in my mind.
"Nutty, maybe I can help you! If I give you something that might help you can you answer a question for me?" I ask tentatively.
"What is it?" Little Nutty asked interested.
"I have water with me. Maybe if I pour some water on your seed, it will help it grow. What do you think? You just need to show me the right place for me to pour it."
"Hm... Ok," said Nutty, jumping from the rock and walking towards a spot on the ground in front of me. "Here".
I crouched near the place and took my canteen. I poured some water next to Nutty.
"Ok, I hope this works. Now, here is my question. Do you know in which direction the horse people, the centaurs, are?" I hold my breath expectantly.
"Yes, they are that way," and his little body turns towards what I assumed was southwest. It was a bit hard to tell. But it was the direction of the track we were following anyway.
"Thank you, Nutty!" I said happily. "Now, you have already helped me. But if I give you something, can you give me some other information?"
"What?" Asked the little creature.
I take a little copper piece from my pouch and place it in front of its form.
"What do I do with it?" Nutty asked.
"You buy things. But for you, it's just a gift. So you can remember me. Now, can you answer me something else?"
"Ok"
"What is that make the thundering sounds that we hear all the time?"
"Oh, they are people with horses! Not like the centaurs. But like you, but on horses. They move through things and never seemed to care about beings like me and mine."
"Thank you for the information, Nutty! I hope your seed grow."
I stand up, cleaning my hands from the dirt that stuck to them and turned around to find all my part members looking with odd expressions at me.
"He is not with us," said Nirith to someone from Thorun's party.
I choose to ignore that comment and share with them the news about the location of the centaurs. Havi wasn't very keen on leaving the track we had found. But with a bit of discussion, and some scouting ahead, we came up with a plan.
We would continue following the track for the day, and tomorrow, as we got closer, we would venture through the woods to try and ambush the centaurs at their camp.
***
The third day began at the right time. We didn't trust Nirith to take the final watch this time.
We followed the track as we had agreed to, and then it came the time for me to go ahead and scout again. But this time, I would fly through the woods, in the direction Nutty had shown me on the previous day.
Before I went on my way, I linked my mind with Nirith. This way, I would let them know how far we had to go until we arrived at the centaurs' camp.
The first hour passed with no issues.
"All clear so far, but we were farther away than what we thought. You should start coming, or the link won't maintain for long."
And as the second hour was passing without any issues, I heard in my mind: "Fuck! Faëlyn, come back! We are under attack".
With my heart pounding in my chest, I darted through the woods.
vzandonadi- Kobold Slayer
- Mensagens : 7
Data de inscrição : 23/01/2021
Felipe Savino gosta desta mensagem
Re: Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por vzandonadi Sáb maio 22, 2021 2:40 pm
Havi's Eulogy
Most of you don't know me. I have been here at Havdrar for less than two weeks. It is indeed a short time for becoming acquainted with the people of a town in normal circumstances. Had I not been caught up in events that rapidly unfolded, I would have just passed by this city after a day's rest. But I would still like to talk about the little that I got to know of Havi.
I suppose one may call our encounter fate. It was by fate that I met a group of people at the Tipsy Tap. It was by fate that that specific group of strangers decided to join forces and complete a task. So, maybe it was by fate that we already had a bond when the infamous Calitheme attacked Milbrim's family.
When Havi ran towards the Thundering Woods, we all followed him. He had that quality to him. He was a leader.
We successfully rescued Milbrim. But Calitheme was still out there, and she had to stop. That was something that Havi wanted, and we all agreed to it.
So, once again, our newly formed group marched under his authority.
Unfortunately, we didn't know then that standing up against the centaur would be the last thing Havi would do. But then again, maybe that was fate.
It was Havi's fate dying fighting against the creature that he most despised. I don't want it thought of as a failure on his part. We may have lost Havi in battle. But it was by his drive and ambition that we succeeded in the mission! His tracking skills got us to their camp. It was by his example and determination that we all stood our ground and that the final blow befell Calitheme's heart. His lifeless body was the silent vow that we all took at that moment that we would either join him in death or stop Calitheme there and then.
Havi became our comrade in the few days that we were together. He inspired us to continue. He showed me that to be a hero demands more from you than the stories let on. In the few moments we shared, we became a group.
So, now I propose that we celebrate his life as our friend that fell fighting to rid the world of great evil. May the moon always shine bright in his memory.
To Havi.
vzandonadi- Kobold Slayer
- Mensagens : 7
Data de inscrição : 23/01/2021
Felipe Savino e GuiBotelho gostam desta mensagem
Re: Faëlyn Arelen - Backstory
por vzandonadi Sáb Jul 03, 2021 1:40 pm
Turn's out that adventures come by quickly.
On the days that followed our return to Havdrar from the Thundering Woods, I had a lot on my mind. But that didn't mean I wasn't aware of the movement that was going on around me at the Tipsy Tap. It was during those times that I first came into contact with Oqorzhos. She is the leader of the fishermen of the town. Through eavesdropping, I picked up the information she was telling Frida, the innkeeper. The Serene Lake wasn't providing as much food as of late. Its waters were becoming more and more dangerous for the fishermen to work on and, they couldn't get enough fish to make a living out of it.
Talking with my friends one night about where we would head next, I suggested that we checked what was going on with the lake. After all, Havdrar had been welcoming with us and, Estos' family lived there. They all agreed to it. I think they were as eager for the next adventure as I was.
We headed to the lake in search of Oqorzhos. She welcomed us because we had got known for dealing with Calitheme. Not sure if that qualified us for any other jobs. But once you deal with one threat, you might as well handle the next one. She entrusted to us the problem of the lake. She told us about the agitated waters in the middle of it and about a spirit that might dwell underneath the surface, which she knew nothing more for sure.
Looking for more information about the spirit of the lake, we went to seek the knowledge of the oldest in town. Beatrice, the teamaker, was happy to see us. She told us that a long time ago, people used to talk about Yalura, the protector of the lake. But that spirit used to be benign and dormant, so she wouldn't know what might be the cause of the problems now.
We still had a little time with the fishermen doing their chores in the lake, so we rushed back there to get some information. We had no idea how we would contact a water spirit, but I had an idea that I hoped it would work.
Oqorzhos was there as we expected. She agreed to take us to the point of the lake where the waters were agitated. It was time for me to see if my idea would work. I focused on myself and prayed for the Great Father for success. Touching the water with my eyes closed, I sent my mind forth with my magic. A strange deep gurgling voice spoke in my head. I had made contact with Yalura. In our brief exchange, the spirit showed how displeased it was with how people behaved in the past decades. It spoke of a temple in the source of the lake, where once it used to receive offerings and prayers. And then it broke our mental link.
I told the others what I had discovered. Oqorzhos didn't seem to believe much in what had happened or in the existence of the said temple. But we needed a boat to get to the source of the lake, going up the river that fed it. It took her some convincing, but we eventually managed to persuade Oqorzhos to be our guide in such endeavour.
With a night to prepare for our departure, we went seeking provisions and other needed things.
Thinking of my little talk with the Yalura, I headed back to the lake before calling it a day. Sitting by the edge of the lake, I got my ehru out and played her a melody. This way, giving the spirit what she wanted. An honest offering.
On the days that followed our return to Havdrar from the Thundering Woods, I had a lot on my mind. But that didn't mean I wasn't aware of the movement that was going on around me at the Tipsy Tap. It was during those times that I first came into contact with Oqorzhos. She is the leader of the fishermen of the town. Through eavesdropping, I picked up the information she was telling Frida, the innkeeper. The Serene Lake wasn't providing as much food as of late. Its waters were becoming more and more dangerous for the fishermen to work on and, they couldn't get enough fish to make a living out of it.
Talking with my friends one night about where we would head next, I suggested that we checked what was going on with the lake. After all, Havdrar had been welcoming with us and, Estos' family lived there. They all agreed to it. I think they were as eager for the next adventure as I was.
We headed to the lake in search of Oqorzhos. She welcomed us because we had got known for dealing with Calitheme. Not sure if that qualified us for any other jobs. But once you deal with one threat, you might as well handle the next one. She entrusted to us the problem of the lake. She told us about the agitated waters in the middle of it and about a spirit that might dwell underneath the surface, which she knew nothing more for sure.
Looking for more information about the spirit of the lake, we went to seek the knowledge of the oldest in town. Beatrice, the teamaker, was happy to see us. She told us that a long time ago, people used to talk about Yalura, the protector of the lake. But that spirit used to be benign and dormant, so she wouldn't know what might be the cause of the problems now.
We still had a little time with the fishermen doing their chores in the lake, so we rushed back there to get some information. We had no idea how we would contact a water spirit, but I had an idea that I hoped it would work.
Oqorzhos was there as we expected. She agreed to take us to the point of the lake where the waters were agitated. It was time for me to see if my idea would work. I focused on myself and prayed for the Great Father for success. Touching the water with my eyes closed, I sent my mind forth with my magic. A strange deep gurgling voice spoke in my head. I had made contact with Yalura. In our brief exchange, the spirit showed how displeased it was with how people behaved in the past decades. It spoke of a temple in the source of the lake, where once it used to receive offerings and prayers. And then it broke our mental link.
I told the others what I had discovered. Oqorzhos didn't seem to believe much in what had happened or in the existence of the said temple. But we needed a boat to get to the source of the lake, going up the river that fed it. It took her some convincing, but we eventually managed to persuade Oqorzhos to be our guide in such endeavour.
With a night to prepare for our departure, we went seeking provisions and other needed things.
Thinking of my little talk with the Yalura, I headed back to the lake before calling it a day. Sitting by the edge of the lake, I got my ehru out and played her a melody. This way, giving the spirit what she wanted. An honest offering.
vzandonadi- Kobold Slayer
- Mensagens : 7
Data de inscrição : 23/01/2021
Felipe Savino gosta desta mensagem
Crônicas de Zandor :: Zandor :: Sétima Era :: From the Ashes
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