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Surreal Islands Expedition IC

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Post  Karthusin Fri Jun 19, 2015 5:55 pm

Journey begins!


Last edited by Karthusin on Fri Feb 12, 2016 10:57 pm; edited 5 times in total (Reason for editing : Forum revision.)
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Post  Karthusin Mon Aug 24, 2015 11:54 am

After a fair bit of travelling to her destination, Sili finds herself approaching the location she had set off towards weeks ago, in morning time, sun just barely over the horizon. The caravan that she had boarded had gradually emptied as time went by and, fortunately for her, none of the individuals who had boarded it were particularly interesting or interested in her, for that matter. If anything, it served to give her time to herself.

Upon the downhill approach past the forest, she could see the wide bay that stretched out before her - empty and lifeless, save for the docks in the distance that seemed to house a number of ships. The path towards the bay was somewhat bumpy. It was hardly a popular destination, thus the roads were largely improvised by the few regulars in the area, consisting of large rocks lining the path, that appeared to be further distinguished by the trails of cartwheels that had left the grass in a sorry state, coupled with various hoof marks. The approach gave her a gorgeous view of the rising sun. Soon enough, it was replaced with the rumbling of a proper road and the view of buildings along the path: 
Spoiler:

Despite the relatively run-down appearance of the place as a whole, it seemed to be full of life, even this early on. Various fishermen were already preparing their boats, the sound of brooms against the floor was audible as various innowners went about their morning routines. What appeared to be groups of mercenaries were moving about, whilst regular old folk were moving their goods around, setting up their stalls along the road. She kept going until she was taken to the center of the coastal village, where a large ship was stationed. Unfortunately, it wasn't her ride, as she discovered shortly, being disembarked infront of a much smaller transport ship:
Spoiler:

"Last ride, milady." Her driver called out and simply halted his convoy, stepping out. An aging man with a simple garb, he made his way to the back of the second wagon and began to set down the crates he had been transporting. Having paid in advance, she didn't have to worry about him making a fuss of anything.

The small bridge that led to the boat didn't seem very active. She saw two figures waiting beside a stack of crates - one was a knight in full, plated armor, bearing a resemblance to what most of them were said to wear on duty, albeit fit for a man of his hulking appearance. The other one was a massive contrast, in comparison -  a young, cloaked man, with his hood down and his hair disheveled from the strong morning wind. He raised his hand and beckoned her over, without saying anything. A few men appeared from the ship as he did so, likely by coincidence, carrying a set of wooden boxes along with them, whilst she felt a shove from beside her as a crewmember bumped into her accidentally. He stumbled forward slightly but managed to preserve his balance: "Hoy, pardon me miss." He bowed his head in apology. Much like the other two seamen, he appeared quite strong and capable, judging by his build, even if he was clad in various leathers to ward himself from the cold. The group passed by eachother without any further incidents, granting her the freedom to approach the one who waved her over, if she so desired.
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Post  Mizu Tue Aug 25, 2015 3:01 pm

The road was now little more than two ruts through the mud. It’d been a long journey, and as the caravan pushed onward, the path they followed began to lose more and more of its features. Sili reflected that at first, she’d listened to the distinct clipping of hooves against cobblestone, but now she only heard the sloshing of wet earth and the kicking of stones. The further they went, the more civilization seemed to fade with the road. Instead of homes she saw only the occasional hut through the trees, and instead of farms, she mostly spotted empty fields.

Sili was, most of all, tired. She would have liked to voice her discomfort in the form of a sigh, but the impersonal looks of the individuals sharing the space put her off the idea of standing out, even if it was only for a moment. Instead, she simply looked out over her shoulder at the scenery and pretended she was alone. They were surrounded by woodland. Beech, willow, pines, and oak; she found trees pretty, but not particularly interesting. This had become a common pastime on her journey from Ivellea, and she didn’t mind it too much, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the opportunity to chat with someone captivating. She fingered the amulet around her neck while she spied yet another willow-draped stream, noting for perhaps the hundredth time the jaggedness of the trinket’s edges. The sigh finally escaped; seeing the world was rather meaningless if she couldn’t interact with it. Suffice to say, she didn’t fancy this mode of travel.

It was then that only moments later, Sili began to catch the familiar scent of salt and fish. Faint at first, but gradually becoming more and more potent. She craned her neck and was greeted by the welcome sight of a bay: her long awaited destination. It was a humble sight - no more than a handful of docks and even less ships - but to her she might as well be visiting a capital. She smiled and opened her mouth to dare something celebratory, but she held her tongue once she remembered her present company. Her mood was quickly soured.

‘The sooner I’m off, the better,’ she thought resentfully to herself as she shielded the morning sun from her eyes, chancing a quick look of reproach to those around her. While they were harmless enough, it was impossible to find anything interesting about them - they were all horribly dull. While some managed to give her the quizzical looks she craved out of westerners, her excitement was always stymied by just how quickly - and wordlessly - they would accept her as an oddity. No interaction would ever spark from it. It was alright though. She’d long-since ceased wishing for someone fascinating to board the caravan, and now she only wished to get on to the next leg of her journey.

Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly by the rumble and clatter of cut stone beneath them, as the dirt trail behind them gave way to an honest road. It was a welcome noise, and though the buildings that grew around them were in a sorry state, it was an appreciated change in scenery. All around them, hoards of simple folk, many the sailor type, shuffled past merchants and mercenaries alike as they went along their business. Despite all there was to see, Sili could focus on little else save the smell - the ocean breeze carried such a pungent odor, that she could swear she could pick out exactly which types of fish were rotting.

As they rode through the bustling center of town, Sili spotted a large, rather impressive-looking ship. She steeled herself, praying that this was the ship expecting her. However, as the caravan neared the impressive galley, it suddenly took a turn, going a short ways before stopping in front of a much more modest - and decidedly less impressive - sail ship.

“Yes, that’s about right…” Sili muttered to herself defeatedly.

“Last stop, m’lady,” called the caravanner as he stepped out. She glanced around her, finding what few people remained had already left.

Sili stepped out of the caravan and let her joints breath - she felt stiff as an oak, and her head spun as the blood rushed from her head. She was tall - at least as tall as most of the human men around her, which earned her a few passing glances and made her relatively easy to pick out from a crowd. Her face possessed a certain immaturity to it - soft and rounded, lacking in the sharp elegance typical of her kind, with ashen hair and quick, cat-like eyes. She squinted at the sky. The sun was still young, but she could already feel the heat on her hands and cheeks. Her skin, where it showed, was white as cut ivory, and just as smooth. In fact, if she were to stand still, one might swear she were an alabaster statue - it seemed the sun even caused her to glare. It was all quite eerie, to be frank.

Fearing for her complexion, Sili raised her hood, before fetching her satchel from the back of the cart and taking a cursory glance at its contents to ensure her items were in order. Satisfied, she nodded goodbye to an unawares caravanner and started toward the boat. It was a short walk, and soon enough the city street gave way to the groaning planks of the boarding dock. She could hear the gentle lapping of tiny waves against the dock’s rotting posts, complemented by the squawking of local seabirds. Here the breeze had gotten noticeably stronger, and though she kept her hair back, her uncooperative bangs were at the mercy of the wind. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of excitement - she hadn’t been on a boat in a long time, and though it was small, it was bigger than the tiny caravel she sailed from Kyria on.

Ahead of her stood what appeared to be a young human man in a rich red cloak - one that the wind was fretfully trying to abscond with. He had a sophisticated look to him, but at the same time he didn’t seem lacking in the boldness of youth. Sili wagered by his dress and demeanor he was an Ivellean. The second figure nearly startled Sili when it moved, as she had almost taken it for an empty suit of armor preparing to be loaded. However, it appeared there was in fact a towering mass of a man inside. She instinctively retrieved a tome from her satchel, clutching it at her side as she prepared to continue. The young man ahead was attentive, and noticed her quickly, wordlessly beckoning her. Before she could oblige, however, a pair of dockhands carrying a crate attempted to shuffle past, the one in the rear clipping her from behind, letting the book slip from her hands. Sili felt her heart leap as the tome plummeted toward the loosely-spaced boarding of the dock, but luckily it was just thick enough not to pass through the cracks, clattering harmlessly against the weather-worn planks. Sili was so tense with the harrowing experience, that she nearly missed the dockhand’s apology:

“Hoy, pardon me miss,” he bowed.

“I - er, uh,” she stammered as she knelt to retrieve her prized possession. “D-Don’t mention it…”

She stood, wiping the cold sweat from her brow - as well as the dust from her tome - as the dockhands continued onward. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as the young Ivellean looked on at her expectantly. She didn’t keep him waiting much longer.

Sili stood in front of them. She wagered she was the same height as the Ivellean, give or take an inch or two; to the knight, however, there was no comparing. He was even more of a giant up close.

She inclined her head in greeting, smiling in an attempt to be polite while she squinted to see them through the water's intense glare. “Hello there, friends” she said amiably. She had the voice of someone who traveled - whichever native accent she had before had been buried beneath the weight of many experienced cultures, detectable only in every odd S or R. She obviously had put a lot of work into making sure her speech was understandable to the locals.

She angled her gaze downward as she lifted her book, flipping through the pages until she reached a point somewhere in the middle. She took a look at the giant’s armor, before visually comparing him to what was sketched all over the page. She nodded once to herself, before leveling her eyes with where she assumed the giant’s were.

“You’re an Adrilan knight, yes? I’ve never had the opportunity to meet one before,” she said, beaming, as she stowed her book. She looked at the two of them eagerly. “So who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”


Last edited by Mizu on Sun Sep 13, 2015 8:49 pm; edited 4 times in total
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Post  Karthusin Sun Sep 06, 2015 12:56 pm

The young man seemed pleased by this. So she -is- part of the crew, that's good! For one reason or another, he seemed particularly pleased when she approached and greeted them. Despite the fact the Knight attempted to snap into the waking world, he was quickly interrupted by the mage, who reached a hand out towards her.

"Hello and well met. My name is William Aristed and I hail from Ivellea. I was looking for likeminded members of the intellectual society with whom I could travel and this is no disappointment. A good day to you." He bowed his head forward, swiping his cape aside momentarily in a fancy gesture, before quickly tugging it back towards himself, fearing that the wind would blow it away. 

Being a massive hunk of plate, the Knight had no such worries, with his tabard being the only thing freely flowing. He politely waited for his excited companion to finish introducing himself before he took a peek into the book through the tiny slits of his visor, nodding his head. His voice was surprisingly gentle, calm... Happy, even. "Yes, indeed! It is my very good honor to meet you, young miss. The name's Sigismund, otherwise more commonly known as sir Hawthorne, albeit I never demand anybody use said title." He scanned the page more thoroughly, before seemingly looking at her from beneath the helmet: "A mighty fine representation of a Knight you have upon that page. Do not be alarmed, for few of them are a size such as mine. I am simply.. big-boned, you could say, hmhmhm!" He let out something akin to a laugh, before nodding once more. "Very good, very good indeed. Pardon the lack of gesture, but I shan't shake your hand. I have been informed, by the man next to me no less, that my grip is stronger than it appears."

To which the mage quickly replied: "Yes indeed, I would advise you not to be on the receiving end of handshakes, hugs or anything of that manner. He's more a bear than a man, based on first impressions. Save for the fact he's.. somewhat comprehensible, unlike a bear."

The Knight seemed to let out yet another chuckle and clap his plated hands together. "Such is the case. Thus, I ask again, for you to pardon my rudeness." 

As the two were bantering, the liveliness of the coastal town only seemed to grow, as various fishermen began to ready their little boats in the nearby docks. What was more noteworthy is that they were always groups of 2 and seemed to carry weapons akin to harpoons in addition to their standard fishing poles-- Or were those standard fishing poles? If the lady is to be more observant with the surroundings, she would notice that a fair few of the fishing rods were actually crafted by arced bones and further reinforced through shaped wood in order to solidify their integrity. Whatever these men were fishing, it likely had alot of pull to it if they went to such lengths to create these almost exquisite-looking fishing poles. If one holds interest in economy, one would wonder how much these would sell on the mainland, considering how sturdy they appeared...
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Post  Mizu Sat Sep 12, 2015 12:32 pm

The young man was pleased by Sili’s introduction. She made sure to indulge in a mental pat on the back, feeling quite pleased herself at how smoothly things seemed to be going.

The man extended his hand amiably, “Hello and well met. My name is William Aristed and I hail from Ivellea,” he said confidently, affirming Sili’s previous speculation. The man oozed politeness, but Sili enjoyed that quality in humans.

Sili was confident in her social awareness. However, she could not help but stare helplessly at the outstretched palm before her. She felt a nauseating wave of embarrassment for not remembering the proper treatment of such a painfully common human gesture, and bewilderment showed on her face for the briefest of moments. She wagered it’d been at least a month since someone offered her a proper handshake, and she never could quite get the hang of them. Finally, realization came to her, and she relaxed, smiling as she awkwardly grasped the wrong part of William’s hand, giving him perhaps the most unusual handshake of his life. Sili just prayed he didn’t notice. She also prayed that the knight wasn’t gawking beneath his helmet.

Her grip was rather weak, and as she took her hand away, circular markings on her palms and fingertips were briefly visible, before they disappeared from view - though she made no effort to hide them.

“I was looking for like minded members of the intellectual society with whom I could travel, and this is no disappointment. A good day to you.” He inclined his head in polite bow, swiping his cape aside regally, before clutching it back before the wind could snatch it from him.

Sili drew an immense amount of satisfaction from being called an intellectual, but she didn’t vocalize it, though her features were easy to read. “Likewise,” she said.

Finally, the giant spoke. His gentle voice took her rather off guard, “Yes, indeed! It is my very good honor to meet you, young miss,” he said in reference to her earlier comments. “The name’s Sigismund, otherwise more commonly known as Sir Hawthorne, albeit I never demand anybody use said title.”

This man had an overwhelming aura of patience. She couldn’t see him past the armor, but this fact was clear from his voice and his body language. “A mighty fine representation of a knight you had upon that page. Do not be alarmed, for few of them are a size such as mine. I am simply… Big-boned, you could say.” He chuckled good-naturedly, before nodding. The metal of his helmet squeaked ever so slightly. “Very good, very good indeed. Pardon the lack of gesture, but I shan’t shake your hand. I have been informed, by the man next to me no less, that my grip is stronger than it appears.”

Sili bit her tongue. She could hardly imagine the last statement, but she said nothing of it. She was just glad she didn’t have to embarrass herself with another handshake.

“Yes indeed,” corroborated William. “I would advise you not to be on the receiving end of handshakes, hugs, or anything of that manner. He’s more a bear than a man, based on first impressions. Save for the fact he’s… Somewhat comprehensible, unlike a bear.”

Another chuckle echoed from the knight’s visor as he clapped his plated hands together in a clash of metal. “Such is the case. Thus, I ask again, for you to pardon my rudeness.”

“No offense taken - handshakes are not common to my people anyway,” She wiggled her pointed fingers in front of him for display. “These tend to get in the way.”

As the two were lost in banter, Sili took an opportunity to observe her surroundings. The town seemed to have mostly woken up, and the streets were packed. Peddlers were hawking their goods, fishwives were browsing the markets, and urchins were already prowling about. Fishermen were readying themselves to head out to sea, but something about them struck Sili as odd. The men were traveling in pairs of two, which wasn’t unusual by itself, but they were practically armed to the teeth with what looked like deadly harpoons. Sili knew little about the place, but she hadn’t taken it for a whaling settlement. In addition to the harpoons, the men carried exquisitely designed fishing poles - she reckoned they were made from bone or wood, but she was no expert. Whatever they were made of, they looked expensive.

Her nose had adjusted to the smell of fish, but she could still detect the distinct scent of dirt and piss - the smell of poverty. She wondered how these fishermen could afford such ornate tools, unless of course they made them themselves? She kept the speculation to herself, snapping back to the situation at hand.

“When do we depart? I don’t mean to be pushy, but I’d like to replace the scent of the city with a nice sea breeze as quickly as possible,” she smiled good-naturedly, but one could tell that she meant what she said.
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Post  Berserker Wed Sep 23, 2015 2:49 am

In the week Avalyn had stayed in the small fishing port, she had learnt to hate the endless crying of seagulls. Every time she attempted to venture out of the inn where she stayed, the swooping birds came at her from above, aiming to bombard her with whatever horrors were contained within their bowels, as though they were some kind of mythical terror of the skies come to herald the coming of the end. She had taken to going outside only at night, because the vicious avian creatures kept to their nests in the darkness and were only slightly less offended by her presence, which, all things considered, did not amount to much. She believed the sole reason her hair remained clean was that its blackness made it hard to see in the night.

It was therefore a great relief to the quite disgruntled Tyrican when she learnt that a ship would soon depart on an expedition to a land across the sea. Despite that she was through her wild twenties, she was far from ready to settle down, and unlike most men she had seen after she left her homeland, adventure was something assuredly greater than herself. And this was the first time she crossed the sea to see another land; she was quite certain that not even her old companion had done that, land-bound and horse-friendly as he was. This was a great chance to experience something new and unique, and she had signed up for the expedition without hesitation. If nothing else, it would get her away from the seagulls.

This morning, Avalyn felt, was a particularly good one. The sun shone, a fresh wind was blowing, and no thieves had broken into her room during the night. She had grown quite adept at counting her blessings over the course of the week, she noted to herself. Having packed up her possessions the night before, she got herself outfitted and left her room, having two kinds of payments to make to the innkeeper. The first was the silver she owed for renting the room, which she delivered in a small leather purse. The second was the fist she planted into his face for ogling her when he thought she didn’t notice, which she delivered with great justice. The innkeeper staggered backwards, stumbled in his own feet, and fell on his back, taking his so-called clairvoyant wife with him in the fall, proving to Avalyn that neither of them had seen it coming.

Avalyn had seen enough bar brawls by now to expect some kind of retaliation, but no such thing happened. The innkeeper’s regular customers in the bar indeed did stare at the violent display of Tyrican justice, as one would expect when their normally safe drinking grounds turned into a battlefield, but when Avalyn looked around the room, glancing at each one of them, they turned back to their drinks and card games, clearly unwilling to rise up in defence of their noble and gracious host. Whether this was due to Avalyn’s size, or the current state of the innkeeper’s formerly straight nose, was not important to the Tyrican, who now departed with her head held high and her honour restored. She had bigger targets in mind, after all.

She had only gotten a few steps away from the inn when she heard the familiar cries from above. Truly, these were the guardian angels of the town’s morally deficit citizens, and now they had come to destroy her. Looking up, she saw a formation of them swooping down upon her, in the shape of an arrow, and crying out the infernal song heralding the end. «No more!» she cried back, and hefted her ten-foot wooden pole by the end, raising it above her head in defiance. Still the formation of seagulls did not waver, their altitude stabilising to drop their payloads and swoop away from their target, ready for another strike. For a brief moment, a deadly eternity in Avalyn’s mind, she stared the seagulls down. Then, she struck.

The loud noise of her pole sweeping through the air was followed by three cracking sounds, then mud spraying out to both sides of the pole’s point of impact. Crying out in terror, a terror inflicted upon them for the first time in far too long, the once intrepid seagull formation spread in fear, each flying in their own direction, only aiming to avoid being crushed. For three seagulls, the end they heralded was their own. Now, they lay broken in the mud of the village, their life taken by the black-haired woman who had avoided them for so long. Truly, the tragic fate of these seagulls was something Avalyn did not care to consider. She already strode on towards the docks, having finally struck a blow against her pursuers.

With the seagulls no longer bearing down upon her, Avalyn allowed herself to draw a breath and lower her shoulders. Her mind clearing, she looked out to the pier where the ship she was to board was docked. The sun glinted in polished metal over there, and she noticed three very different figures standing there, presumably talking about the upcoming journey. She was quite certain these were not village people, and as she approached, she could start making out details. One seemed to be a knight of some sort, very heavily armoured and carrying a halberd as his weapon of choice, as well as quite large, though his armour was uncoloured, different from Tyrican customs. The smallest of the three wore a red, hooded cloak, which made it harder to identify the person underneath. The third, whose white hair was wisely tied up to prevent it from fluttering overly in the wind, seemed feminine in shape, and unusually tall, but much leaner and lighter of build than Avalyn herself. With her interest piqued, she decided to speak with these strangers and learn their intentions.

«Hail to you, travellers, for such I assume you to be. Your garbs and appearances do not match that of the locals, and I assume you, like me, are joining the expedition.» No sooner had she uttered the words, before she realised she had interrupted a running conversation. Had she been of finer heritage, she would have apologised, but had she been of finer heritage she most certainly would not be here. Still, these people seemed much more schooled than her, even the knight, just from looking at them. 


«…Please excuse the feathers», she added, pointing at the end of her pole, which was covered in blood, mud and seagull feathers, and which she was wisely keeping in a direction where it would not smudge anybody.
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Post  Mizu Fri Oct 02, 2015 2:31 pm

“Hail to you, travellers.”

Sili had opened her mouth to speak, before the unexpected greeting turned her attention fully away from the others. She was bemused to find a tall, imposing woman before the group - much taller than the human women she usually observed by at least a foot, and she wielded a weapon that had to be another 4 feet taller than that. Sili was surprised enough at this development that for a brief moment, she tuned out of the rest of the woman’s greeting.

“Your garbs and appearances do not match that of the locals, and I assume you, like me, are joining the expedition,” she continued. She had one of those voices that demanded attention - and all was given to her. The previous conversation had already been abandoned and forgotten. A touch of guilt flashed across the woman’s features, before it too was lost. Sili thought for a moment that the woman was about to apologize as she motioned to speak.

“Please excuse the feathers,” the woman said instead, gesturing to the unsavory blood and down globbed to the end of the ten-foot pole. She held the weapon like someone who knew how to use it, and she was kind enough to wield the filthy thing in a direction that wouldn’t rain gunk down on the rest of the party. Despite being an adventuresome sort, Sili liked to keep her garments clean if at all possible.

“Don’t mention it,” Sili spoke first. She gave the woman a toothy smile - showing off her pointed teeth in a way that would likely unsettle those unaccustomed. Despite this, her greeting was sincere. “Welcome to the expedition.”

Sili surveyed those present, including herself. On the surface, what she saw boiled down to two fighters and two scholars. A perfectly balanced group, in her eyes.

“Looks like we’ve got a sword for every pen,” Sili said, seemingly satisfied with the turn of events. “Just as well. I can’t speak for Mister Aristed, but I’m not much of a fighter myself. Afraid my dagger's only good for cheese and this armor for guarding my complexion,” she joked at her own expense. “Glad that you’re here. It would’ve been unjust to thrust the responsibility of protecting us two scholars on Sir Hawthorne alone,” Sili gave William a suggestive look that was half curious and half playful. “Unless Mister Aristed has skills beyond study that are unbeknownst to us.”


Last edited by Mizu on Fri Oct 09, 2015 7:33 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post  Karthusin Sun Oct 04, 2015 9:35 am

"Ah, heil to you as well, fair lady!" The bulky Knight had to force himself to move yet again, despite how comfortable he was looking like an immobile statue. "I am sir Sigismund Hawthorne of Adrila and it is my very good pleasure to meet you. Judging by the way you managed to rid yourself of that pesky bird, I would say that you are well capable with a weapon. Just as well, for I am more accustomed to defensive maneuvers than-- Oh, bother me, I have began rambling once more. Please, carry on." He politely nodded his head and folded his arms around his body, letting the others speak and get to know eachother.

William gave Siri a glance that he himself didn't expect. Was she suggesting something? "I will have you know that.." He suddenly shut up, as if he swallowed his tongue. He had no idea how to reply to that provocation. "Touche. I am honestly not much handy in close quarters combat, past a longsword that I have relatively little technique with.. Alas, I entrust myself to the hands of more capable fighters." He sighed. He really did not like to admit such things, by the looks of it, and it visibly made him feel inferior, but he swallowed it up and spoke up once again. "In any case, welcome aboard, I suppose. Far as I'm aware, we're waiting for one or two more people before we get going. Just in time, all the same."

"Greetings travelers." Came another voice from the land, accompanied by the sound of clattering chainmail and impact of plate, albeit much more lighter than the mass of armor that was Sigismund. 
Spoiler:
His voice was, similarly so, muffled by the obstructing helmet, albeit hardly as much. The man carried a large claymore, one much larger than his body, even, slumped one handed over his shoulder. Around his body were two weapon sheathes - a large leather case for the claymore that went over his shoulder, and a much smaller one around his waist, curved just a little, with the hilt of an eastern sword and the pronounced circular guard of the federation. He reached up for his helmet after stuffing the blade back where it belonged. Noteworthy was a trail of blood behind him. 
"You will excuse me for the rough appearance. My carriage was attacked on the way by a group of careless brigands. Alas, they got what they deserved when it turned out the family of fishermen was just as tough after years of hunting some.. giant squid that is rumored to be on this side of the world. Naturally, I helped." 
Spoiler:
He reached out and removed his helmet: "I shall be joining you on this expedition. My name is sir Mutsunaoe Motonari. I heil from the federation from birthright. Albeit I am distant from those lands when it comes to lifetime."
The cloth beneath the various layers of armor carried a symbol, that likely signified his alleigance, but right now, it was too obstructed to be seen. "And it appears that I have likewise interrupted your conversation.. Hehehe, pardon the rudeness." He held his helmet underhand.

"O-oh! Well met to you as well. My name is Sigismund Hawthorne, proud Knight of Adrila. By no means have I taken any off--" He was interrupted by William: "You're going to introduce yourself to every crewman that passes by as well, big guy?" "U-uhm.. By all means, it is polite.." "And repetitive."
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Post  Berserker Sat Oct 17, 2015 8:15 am

«Fair and fair, sir Sigismund; I would much prefer if you kept such compliments to women more deserving of that description.» Avalyn held up a weather-worn and rugged hand, more fit for a logger or warrior than a lady of any stature. Though the compliment was flattering, it was undeserved - if not wholly, then at least largely. «Men are more prone to fall to my blade than to my charm and grace, sir knight, and I am far from masterful with the sword. I carry it more as a last resort, for those occasions the best solution to our problems is brute force. As you may notice, I am quite a bit... well, larger than most human women, you could say, and considerably stronger. My skills are more useful out of combat, however, so you would do wise in relying more on sir Hawthorne and master Motonari to defend you from harm, my sabite friend.»

This expedition certainly turned out to be a rare and exotic sight to the locals. As their numbers grew, so too did the interest of the locals, and many looked in awe at the warriors in heavy armour, gawked at the sabite, and made sure to stay out of Avalyn’s range, after her earlier fight in the inn. More interestingly, Avalyn believed that some of the newcomers did not even smell of fish, and that was a most unusual characteristic in this place. She was in fact quite certain the bloodied warrior and his massive weapon did not yet smell of fish, regardless of his former company of fishermen and the blood of the small fry left in his wake. The tall, pale sabite magician seemed too distasteful towards the notion of getting dirty to smell of fish, either, judging by her rather immaculate garments. This might well end up a good day after all.

Avalyn took a moment to brush her hair aside, though the effort was pointless in the morning winds, and dipped the bloodied end of her pole into the water, hoping to rid it of some entrails. «This is as though all the free folk of Kayre are uniting to face a threat endangering us all! Now all we need is a divine being to lead us, and a centaur to lend us his bow-arm, and we have ourselves an expedition worthy of legend.» Indeed, the diversity of those assembled surprised Avalyn. She had expected to be the only one from a far-off land, but here were an Adrilan knight, a warrior of the Sacred Dragon, a scholar of Ivellea and even one of the mysterious sabites. Despite having felt special this entire past week, the wayfaring Tyrican now felt awfully normal. Whether this was good or bad remained to be seen, but it was certainly a welcome change. 

Avalyn turned to the robed Ivellean, who seemed to bear the impetuousness of the young close to heart. «Now, repetitive as introductions may be, good Ivellean companion of ours, may I ask that you repeat yourself yet another time? I would hate to have to resort to an impolite nickname referring to your stature and its relativity to mine, and I’m quite certain you agree.»
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Post  Mizu Sun Oct 25, 2015 10:38 am

“Touche,” responded William, defeated. “I am honestly not much handy in close quarters combat, past a longsword that I have relatively little technique with... Alas, I entrust myself to the hands of more capable fighters.” William sighed. He clearly had an inferiority complex concerning these matters, Sili deduced, and she believed she may have struck a nerve.

“Oh, don’t look so down, my friend. I’m beyond positive that you’re a more capable fighter than I,” Sili rolled up a sleeve, displaying an unthreateningly thin upper arm. “Doubt arms as meek as these could even swing a longsword.”

Meanwhile, Avalyn began to respond to Sigismund’s cordial greeting: “Fair and fair, sir Sigismund,” she said, moving to display a leathery hand that gave insight into what they were used for. “I would much prefer if you kept such compliments to women more deserving of that description. Men are more prone to fall to my blade than to my charm and grace, sir knight, and I am far from masterful with the sword. I carry it more as a last resort, for those occasions the best solution to our problems is brute force.”

“As you may notice, I am quite a bit... well, larger than most human women, you could say, and considerably stronger,” Avyln now spoke to Sili. “My skills are more useful out of combat, however, so you would do wise in relying more on sir Hawthorne and master Motonari to defend you from harm, my sabite friend.”

“Fair enough,” Sili said, smiling. She was pleasantly surprised that the woman was familiar with her people. “Forgive me if I feel inclined to stick near you and that sword of yours in a pinch, however.”

"In any case,” William asserted, turning his attention to Avalyn. “Welcome aboard, I suppose. Far as I'm aware, we're waiting for one or two more people before we get going. Just in time, all the same."

As if on cue, a man, clad in a truly terrifying set of armor, approached the group with a clattering of mail that heralded his appearance even before he spoke. There was a light, yet distinct scent of iron trailing him, Sili noted. “Greetings, travelers,” the man said through a helmet that looked almost to be made of ivory. If his accent wasn’t enough of an indicator, the curvature of his sword and the artistic flair of his armor set him clearly apart from any local. Sili knew not from where he came, but she held the feeling that, not unlike her, this man was far from home.

"You will excuse me for the rough appearance,” the man apologized. Entering with an apology seemed to have become a trend amongst newcomers to the party. Sili did not mind it. Among humans it was only polite. “My carriage was attacked on the way by a group of careless brigands.” Sili noticed the blood behind him as he said this, and finally seeing it seemed to intensify the tang of iron in her nostrils.

“Alas, they got what they deserved when it turned out the family of fishermen was just as tough after years of hunting some... Giant squid that is rumored to be on this side of the world. Naturally, I helped."

Sili’s thoughts flashed immediately to the ornate fishing poles she’d spotted the locals carrying not ten minutes earlier. Sili reflected that she’d never seen a giant squid before. Regardless of her curiosity, she prayed they wouldn’t encounter one - whatever they were like.

The man removed his helmet, and Sili noted that he had a face utterly distinct from those around him. Sili had never seen a man like this, and she found the shape of his eyes  to be  especially intriguing. “"I shall be joining you on this expedition,” he stated plainly. “My name is sir Mutsunaoe Motonari. I hail from the Federation from birthright. Albeit I am distant from those lands when it comes to lifetime."

Sili was barraged with a new wave of curiosity. She reckoned she’d have to interrogate this man later on, as well as the rest of her party. She was almost more excited to know more about them than she was about the destination of their journey, and she hoped that the sea voyage would hold enough time for adequate questioning.

William and Sigismund exchanged their own greetings with the man, before they once again transitioned into banter. She wondered if and how long the two of them may have known each other before this, as they almost seemed like childhood friends. Sili smiled to herself as she daydreamed, looking content, as well as somewhat foolish.

As William and Sigismund exchanged remarks, Avalyn cleansed her staff of grime by swirling it in the frothy waters beneath the docks. “This is as though all the free folk of Kayre are uniting to face a threat endangering us all!” she suddenly exclaimed, clearly excited, forcing Sili out of her own mind with a start. “Now all we need is a divine being to lead us, and a centaur to lend us his bow-arm, and we have ourselves an expedition worthy of legend.”

“I don’t know about a centaur, but I’m technically a missionary,” Sili teased, thumping her tome with one hand and speaking in a satirical tone. “The true threat is ignorance, my lofty human friend.”

“Now, repetitive as introductions may be, good Ivellean companion of ours,” Avalyn said. “May I ask that you repeat yourself yet another time? I would hate to have to resort to an impolite nickname referring to your stature and its relativity to mine, and I’m quite certain you agree.”

“And to add to the question and the continuing theme of repetition,” Sili chimed in. “When do we depart, my Ivellean friend?”
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Post  Karthusin Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:37 am

William looked at her, successfully managing to hide any thoughts he may have had behind a neutral expression that he seemed to pull off just in time so as not to appear rude. "My name is William Aristed and I do indeed hail from Ivellea. I suppose not having repeated myself about 4 times when it comes to it does make it rather forgetful when so many delightful faces come and join our merry crew. And we depart in due time. When exactly, I know not but we have been sitting here for about a few hours and I imagine it shan't be too long."

And just like so, the group of men that departed earlier to carry out cargo were making their way back with a new set of crates, and the captain behind them. A middle aged man, with a black beard that stretched down his neck and the standard captain's hat in the form of a neat triangle. He had a set of glasses and held a hand up to his hat, keeping it down in response to the wind. He approached the gathering and nodded his head, moving past them. Halfway down the wooden platform, he waved his hand in a welcoming motion, moving on to the ship. The crew onboard held down a plank stretching from the ship to the dock, letting the captain board the ship anew. 

Sir Mutsunaoe blinked his eyes, putting the helmet back over his head. "That would be our go, it appears. I'd advise we take the walk cautiously. The first peril tends to be the first step, some say. And this barely strapped together wooden.. bridge, doesn't exactly fill me with confidence." He was the first to get a move on in any case, followed along by William who didn't consider himself a heavy person evidently. 

"Ah, well, off we go then! If anyone else arrives, I suppose they shall have to wait for the next ride!" The hulking knight announced,  gesturing sideways with his armor-clad hand so as to give way to the ladies, in a matter that is polite. He bowed his head once again, biding his time patiently, all while everyone raced ahead of him. Made sense too, as he was the heaviest.
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Post  Berserker Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:14 pm

William’s answer left Avalyn feeling both angry for the young man’s rudeness and guilty for the way she talked to him. She decided to leave him alone for the time being, and let him talk to her if he so desired. Instead, she turned her attention to the crew.

The ship’s captain looked experienced enough, Avalyn noted to herself. That would be good, if the tales about the open seas were true. Back when she was a small girl, she heard many a tale about the treacherous sea, and how ships that set sail north were never heard of again. Of course, she would not have joined the expedition if it was heading north across the great sea, but the waters this far south could be treacherous enough. She needed to have faith in the captain’s skill, and this one at least had a look to him that inspired such faith.

With both Mutsunaoe and William boarding the ship, one after another, Avalyn saw fit to reply to Sili. «You speak truth, sabite», Avalyn said, «ignorance is a great threat. But as long as ignorance cannot crush your body with a mace the size of a log, and move on to eat your entrails, I consider ogres a more dire threat to my safety.» A dark expression came upon the oversized human, only to give way to a melancholic smile a moment later. «The time to set sail appears to be upon us. Let us board the ship.»


If Avalyn had any doubts to the load-bearing capabilities of the plank providing them access to the ship, she made no signs of it. Once William had made his way across, the tall Tyrican followed suit with the agility of someone very familiar with narrow walkways, and with a spring in her step that made the entire plank rattle once she took the last step from the plank and onto the ship.
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Post  Mizu Mon Jan 25, 2016 6:06 pm

Sili detected a sense of tension between the Tyrcian and the Ivellean, but she was ashamed to admit that she had difficulty understanding exactly why. Perhaps, she thought to herself, Tyrcians and Ivelleans just didn't get along? she frowned, thinking back on her homeland.

As the men began to board, Sili did not notice that Avalyn had cast her eyes toward her, as she was far too busy tilting her head at the captain's big, black, bushy beard - almost as if she'd never seen a beard before. Her attention was easily grabbed once Avalyn spoke:

"You speak the truth, Sabite," Avalyn said with an iron tone. Sili looked at her, and it took what Avalyn said next to remind her of what exactly she was referring to. "Ignorance is a great threat. But as long as ignorance cannot crush your body with a mace the size of a log, and move on to eat your entrails, I consider Ogres a more dire threat to my safety."

Sili's eyes, with their perpetually beady pupils, stared back into Avalyn's as a grim expression overtook the human's face. Sili cocked her head slightly, her body language betraying her curious state of mind. She wondered if the human were remembering some sort of past experience, and Sili couldn't help but wonder. She had a very analytical stare, as well as a disturbingly lacking inclination toward blinking - she was almost bird-like in her behavior. A moment passed, though Sili had sworn it'd been several, and the human's stone gaze gave way to a sad smile.

"The time to set sail appears to be on us. Let us board the ship," Avalyn broke the silence, turning away.

Sili's eyes followed her for a few steps, before she too trailed along. "It's funny," Sili said, just before Avalyn traversed the bridge - she continued talking once she did the same, having little difficulty doing so. "At least I think it is - if I'm thinking of the term right."

The Sabite simply stood next to Avalyn, looking at her and clearly expecting some form of response before she could continue with what she was saying.


Last edited by Mizu on Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post  Berserker Sat Feb 06, 2016 11:20 pm

Sili’s response - «It’s funny», she started, though for whatever reason she waited with the continuation - barely reached Avalyn’s ear through the noise of the fiercely rattling plank behind her. Once aboard the ship, Avalyn placed her pole against the deck, using her heel as a center of pivot, and spun on it using the pole to apply the force needed to turn. By doing this, she turned to look at Sili again, in an attempt not to put the running conversation to an abrupt end. Despite her consequent dramatic hair toss being ruined by the wind, she managed to retain at least a slight degree of elegance in the motion, which, despite being entirely pointless and all too elaborate for the simple action of turning around, could give the untrained eye the impression that Avalyn was a lot more agile and nimble than her size implied. 


Once Sili was aboard the ship, Avalyn looked at the sabite, who without hesitation continued what she was saying; «At least I think it is - if I’m thinking of the term right.» Avalyn found the sabite’s stare - along with a lot of other things about her, such as her teeth - mildly unsettling, and in response she cocked her head sideways, answering Sili’s expectant stare with a question and a look that gave away her lacking understanding. Though Avalyn did not intend it so, the two tall women had ended up standing quite close to one another; at Avalyn’s favourite distance in staredown contests, no less. «What, precisely, is funny?»
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Post  Karthusin Sat Feb 20, 2016 9:56 pm

The boat had an inner crew compartment where the two knights and the ivellean mage had wandered into. Sili and Avalyn remained on the deck where the actual crewmembers were working away, revealing some of the cargo they transported to be extra wooden planks, in case of an emergency, more fishing rods, rags and leathers to provide warmth and serve as makeshift bandages. They then moved into the crew compartments likely to store them. 

The captain showed up on the deck with his grizzled appearance tucked away slightly as he straightened out his beard: "So, you two ladies seeking adventures, hmm? We'll do our best to get you there safely but the seas here are treacherous. It might take some time, nevermind alot of effort on our part but good pay demands good services." He paced about the deck before returning to them. "The crew compartments are at your disposal. Come equipped with a bed and a desk, since we are not exactly a luxury vessel." Afterwhich he moved on, starting to untie the various knots that held in the sails whilst one of of the men pulled up the weight with alot of effort on his part. Still, the fact he managed to extract the anchor when one considers just how much it weighs by himself...

The ship began to rock back and forth calmly, slowly getting some distance from the bay on it's own. The captain moved up to the second neck and one of the crew members climbed up on the overwatch tower. Slowly they began to steer with the man uptop shouting directions, receiving a reply from the type of: "I've docked here for years now lad, you don't have to tell me how to get the ship moving!" Afterwhich everything quieted down. And the captain wasn't lying, he did try to make the experience as smooth as possible for them. It wouldn't help someone who get easily seasick, but he was trying his best, one could tell.
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Post  Mizu Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:30 am

“I, er- uh…” Clearly, Silli felt intimidated by the woman’s response. Even though she was just a runt, Sili was still taller than most humans around her - except for Avalyn, that was, who’s difference in height didn’t at all go unnoticed. In addition to that, Sili was faced with another nerve-wracking fact of the encounter. There was no two ways about it: Avalyn was strong and Sili was weak. She couldn’t help but feel an instinctive apprehension when faced with this - a very common phenomenon amongst her kind.

“It’s just that...” She instinctively discontinued eye contact with Avalyn as she spoke, her long, thread-like tail flicking back and forth restlessly. “It’s just that most of the time humans are small and Sabites are big,” She looks back into Avalyn’s eyes, giving an awkward, but ultimately well-meaning smile. “A human bigger than a Sabite is funny. I thought it was… ‘Ironic’, I think is the term.”

"So, you two ladies seeking adventures, hmm?” Came the unmistakably rough-and-tumble voice of the captain, cutting the conversation short - though the hollow sound of boots against the deck heralded his approach even before he spoke. Sili was glad for the moment of respite from having to explain her humor. The captain groomed his beard as he continued, now that he had their attention. “We'll do our best to get you there safely, but the seas here are treacherous. It might take some time, nevermind a lot of effort on our part. But good pay demands good services."

He then began to pace his deck, and Sili felt she could detect a certain sense of pride in his step. She bet he loved his ship. "The crew compartments are at your disposal. Come equipped with a bed and a desk, since we are not exactly a luxury vessel."

And with that, he was off to ready the ship for departure. Sili, now alone with Avalyn, then declared to no one in particular: “I suppose that’s all well and good - The Mazraks say luxury clouds the mind.”

She didn’t seem embarrassed by her blurt of random information, instead, she lifted her hand to her forehead to act as a visor as she carefully watched the position of the sun. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been at sea,”  Sili said nostalgically. “The ocean’s a little colder over here...” She wasn’t sure whether or not Avalyn was listening, or if she was even still there at all. Sili didn’t mind.
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Post  Berserker Wed Mar 09, 2016 9:20 pm

Before Avalyn got a chance to respond to Sili’s explanation of her recently found source of amusement, the two were interrupted by the captain, and once again Avalyn was made to feel awkward about being addressed in a way far befitting her. It was not so much an inferiority complex, but rather modesty, that made her dislike being addressed in such a manner. «Good captain, I have travelled the world for ten years, and have not a single piece of property to my name. All I have to offer is strength and size, so do let me know if you could use either.» With that said, Avalyn felt quite certain that once again, her services were undesired due to her being a woman. It was always like that; so many men got offended when she intruded upon their craft. Only the occasional Adrilan seemed to be indifferent to her position as a fighter.

Avalyn quietly observed the captain barking orders left and right. Ship travel was new to her, but it was obvious that every man had his tasks, and that this great cooperative effort was needed to make even a rather small ship, such as theirs, move safely on the sea. It was fortunate that the wind was strong, pressing onto the sail and making the ship move. Avalyn had a feeling she would have had to contribute to the oars if the winds would not help them. Fortunately for her arms, although unfortunately for her long hair, the winds did not show signs of losing their vigour.


Thinking to herself, it took a moment before she snapped to attention, realising Sili was speaking again. «I suppose that’s all well and good - The Mazraks say luxury clouds the mind.» Sili was looking in the sun’s direction, shading her eyes with her hand. «It’s been a while since I’ve been at sea,» she continued. «The ocean’s a little colder over here…» Avalyn pondered this for a moment, then replied, while once again making a futile attempt to get her hair out of her field of vision. «A little bit of luxury every now and then is not so bad. It helps motivate oneself through periods filled with nothing but drudgery and hunger.» She took a pause, looking towards the horizon. «As for the sea… This is my first time on the open seas. I do not know if there are pirates in these waters, but if there are, I am hoping for a good fight. I remember battling river pirates, aboard smaller boats, some years ago, and that was quite fun.» She found herself fiddling with her greatsword’s sheath, and wondered why she was doing that. At no point earlier could she recall being this eager to fight; perhaps it was simply the all-too-seldom feeling of triumph after finally defeating the seagulls.
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Post  Mizu Wed Mar 16, 2016 4:42 pm

Upon hearing Avalyn’s desire for conflict, a shiver ran up and down Sili’s narrow spine. She didn’t like to admit it, but she could be a bit cowardly at times. She gave a bit of a nervous laugh, looking at Avalyn as her tail flicked back and forth anxiously.

“I hate to pray against your hopes, friend,” said Sili, amiably. “But as I said earlier, I’m not much of a fighter - I fear such an encounter could be the end of someone so meek as me.” She sighed, jokingly. “I’ll have to stick to the luxury of the cabins if worse comes to worst.”

As a fresh new gust of wind blew across her face from out over the sea, she took the chance to steal a deep breath of fresh sea air - it was unsurprisingly salty, and somewhere from the shore came the pungent taint of rotting kelp, but it was still a smell she could enjoy, as it filled her with a sense of adventure that pleasantly scented oils and candles could never hope to match.

“The smell will endear itself to you, eventually,” She told Avalyn, brushing a stubborn strand of white hair out of her eyes as it fluttered in the wind. “Just remember to stay away from the rails when the water’s bumpy, and try not to get seasick.”

She reached into her pouch, rummaging fitfully around for several moments before retrieving a small, round fruit that was very obviously an orange. She held it out, open-palmed, to Avalyn. “Don’t forget to eat lots of fruit, too. Something about scurvy, or something...” She scratched her chin ponderously for a moment, eyes cast away, before abandoning the exercise.

Sili gave her a warm smile: she hoped they’d get along.
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Post  Berserker Sun Mar 20, 2016 5:04 am

Avalyn looked upon the orange Sili presented, and smiled back - though it was the orange itself that was the reason for her smile. «These aren’t quite so common in these western lands, but back in Tyrica they grew in the millions up north. This is a welcome sight indeed!» she exclaimed, taking the orange out of Sili’s hand and holding it up, allowing her pole to rest against her shoulder instead of being held up. «As thanks, I will happily clobber any enemy of yours - or defeat him altogether - in your stead.» Immediately, she started peeling the fruit, tossing the peel overboard and into the sea, where thousands of hungry maws would no doubt make an attempt at consuming it. In the process, the smell of the orange’s juice mingled in with the smell of rotten kelp and salty sea, doing a tiny bit to help Avalyn overcome the rather intense smell.


«So what brings a sabite this far west? Surely you, too, must have a goal in joining this expedition. Is it just exploring new land that interests you, or do you perhaps seek whatever ancient powers that may be hidden in a faraway and dangerous land?» Avalyn’s curiosity got the better of her, and since the conversation was already on the move, she decided to make use of the opportunity. It was not everyday she met sabites, and even though she had met more than many other humans, they were still a mysterious race to her - more so than the sylvians, xillidi and vampires she had encountered in her travels. While she awaited Sili’s response, she started separating the orange into small boats, doing her best to prevent spraying orange juice in all directions; an endeavour that was only mostly successful. Nonetheless, it was obvious she had done this a hundred times before, as she did it with a careful hand even without watching. She looked some at Sili, some over at the horizon, some at the crewmen doing their jobs, all the time without taking her attention away from Sili, now that she was slowly getting more comfortable with the sabite - not that more comfortable meant comfortable, as the sabite still had some traits that seemed unnatural to one of human heritage. Still, once she finally finished separating the orange, she grinned, gently pressing a piece of the fruit against Sili's mouth, interrupting any answer the sabite had begun formulating.
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Post  Karthusin Mon Mar 21, 2016 9:41 am



The ship continued rocking back and forth. After a good while of observing the climate, the captain finally called out: "Pull in to half-sail!". The various crew members were quick on their feet with carrying out their tasks, climbing onto the reinforced wooden beams in order to do as told. Two of the smaller sails were retracted and the ship lost a bit of speed, however it carried on in what felt like a more stable manner. A group of them then entered the crew compartment and a bit of rumbling could be heard as they made their way to the lowest deck and deployed a set of 8 wooden rows, compensating for the speed loss with raw strength. 

All of this was due to the fact that the wind became stronger in a very short manner of time, but not only - it also became colder. The two women would feel it soon enough. Still, it was not bone chilling and that was good enough for anyone who's spent time in the north. If their eyes are keen, they can spot a number of rowboats off in the distance, with fishing poles deployed even in these harsh conditions. The people here were dedicated to their craft to be sure. 

The sky wasn't getting much better. Although not yet darkening, it was far from bright either. The uncertain gray knew not whether it wanted to rain or not, with the captain shooting a glance in that direction a good few times, more keen on ample preperation than a last-moment setup.
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Post  Mizu Mon Mar 21, 2016 9:14 pm

Sili closely observed Avalyn as she carefully dissected the orange with her fingertips. Sili could detect a faint scent of citrus as the peel was removed, but it was quickly whipped away by the uncompromising wind. Avalyn began gleefully popping each slice into her mouth, and based on her lift in mood, Sili was fairly convinced that she’d managed to curry some favor with the woman.

“So what brings a Sabite this far west?” Said Avalyn between bites. Sili was forced to look up from the orange into Avalyn’s eyes, though it looked as if Sili were mildly uncomfortable with the act of doing so, as if she were embarrassed. Avalyn continued: “Surely you, too, must have a goal in joining this expedition. Is it just exploring new land that interests you, or do you perhaps seek whatever ancient powers that may be hidden in a faraway and dangerous land?”

At this point, Sili had begun feeling awkward about her constant shifting in eye contact. “Ah, you’ll have to forgive my rudeness…” she responded, as she habitually cast her eyes away once more. She thought it would be proper to apologize for her behavior before answering any questions. “Where I come from, it’s only polite to-”

Her explanation was suddenly cut short as an orange slice was thrust against her lips. Startled, Sili’s confused eyes darted back to Avalyn, noticing the huge grin on her face as she seemed, almost, to be attempting to force it into Sili’s mouth. Restraining herself from questioning this, Sili simply bit down on the offering, her needle teeth causing drops of citrus to squirt upward. She chewed briefly, doing her best to enjoy the taste, however bewildered she was.

“I, um-...” She cleared her throat. “Thank you.”

Sili wasn’t sure if she were experiencing an unknown human custom, or simply the eccentricities of a particular individual. Either way, she was perplexed, as such a thing would never occur in her homeland. It took her a moment to remember the question that had been posed to her, as she’d completely lost her train of thought - forgetting entirely the sentence she was attempting moments earlier.

“I’m an explorer by trade,” She began. “My organization sent me here to learn of your customs. Though personal interest motivates me, it is work, and all of my research will go back to my superiors.” Sili cocked her head as she finished speaking, a question itching at her mind.

“What my question is,” Sili began, doing her best to avoid instinct and hold eye contact. “Is how you seem to know so much about my people. Have you been to Sabia? If so, I’m very impressed - not many come to visit.”

As she spoke, the sounds of the crew at work filled the air around them, and the ship began to lurch and move.
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Post  Berserker Fri Apr 01, 2016 8:55 am

With an amused chuckle, Avalyn let Sili chew the fruit she offered. «That was perhaps a little direct of me. My apologies.» She still smiled, revealing the apology as an obvious gesture of politeness without any sincerity behind it. «I have been a long time on the road, and learnt long ago to share food with those I meet, even when it is they who offer it to me. But of course, I do not take such a direct approach to everyone I meet…» The tyrican was enjoying herself, having picked up on the sabite avoiding eye contact, and made use of the opportunity to further push Sili off balance, so to speak, and the look of complete confusion on Sili’s face made it all the more entertaining.

Nevertheless, Avalyn politely allowed Sili to actually answer the question she had asked - which was asked out of genuine curiosity, after all.

«I’m an explorer by trade. My organization sent me here to learn of your customs. Though personal interest motivates me, it is work, and all of my research will go back to my superiors.» Sili cocked her head, and Avalyn noted that she was now making an effort to retain eye contact. «What my question is, is how you seem to know so much about my people. Have you been to Sabia? If so, I’m very impressed - not many come to visit.»

Avalyn raised an eyebrow, her smile fading away and the whole woman’s posture growing more serious, as if she decided playtime was over and she’d act like a grown-up, respectable adventurer with the blood of a hundred men and too many seagulls on her hands. She crossed her arms, and steadied herself, using her hips and knees to counteract the rocking of the ship. «I have been to Sabia, once - but back then, much as now, I am no scholar, and did not learn everything I could about your people. I have, for instance, no way of identifying where in Sabia you come from, even if I can tell you are sabite. I believe, like us humans, you sabites have different cultures and realms within the area we call Sabia. At least we encountered remarkably different people there, some years ago.»


She looked around towards the open sea, her expression thoughtful and calm. For a moment, she seemed lost in quiet reflection, though the moment passed by quickly. Finally she turned her head back to Sili, adjusting her footing while doing so. «It seems to me you are in luck, if you wish to research human customs. There are representatives for quite about every human nation worth mentioning present on the ship, and it seems that you even got the typical ones - the adrilan knight, the ivellean wizard, the Federation swordsman, and the tyrican wanderer. This should be interesting, I believe, to someone of your profession.» She grabbed her ten-foot pole once again and threw the remaining orange peel out to sea, hoping to show she was ready for a little bit of time to herself.
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Post  Mizu Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:35 pm

Avalyn’s smile and playful demeanor changed almost immediately upon asking the question, as if Sili had accidentally stumbled upon a very serious subject. The human crossed her heavy arms across her chest, and rooted herself to the spot in a grim, defiant manner. Sili, in response to this gesture, shrunk back slightly, her amiable expression fading just as quickly. Her long ears twitched anxiously, and she couldn’t help but look nervous - like a dog expecting to be hit.

“I have been to Sabia, once,” Avalyn begun calmly, allowing Sili to relax after the brief, albeit tense moment. “But back then, much as now, I am no scholar, and did not learn everything I could about your people. I have, for instance, no way of identifying where in Sabia you come from, even if I can tell you’re a Sabite-”

Sili felt her curiosity peak. Clearly, she couldn’t let this woman leave her presence before asking her at least an hour’s worth of questions. That is, if Avalyn would give her the honor, which Sili silently lamented the improbability of.

“I believe, like us humans, you Sabites have different cultures and realms within the area we call Sabia,” Continued Avalyn. “At least we encountered remarkably different people there, some years ago.”

Upon finishing her thoughts, Avalyn then silently turned her gaze out toward the horizon, looking peacefully reminiscent as she watched the distant waves. Sili guessed she was recalling memories of her travels, and she cocked her head in wonder, before the moment passed all too quickly. Avalyn turned sharply back to Sili, which surprised her, as she believed the conversation was over. This made her glad, as she wished to continue.

“It seems you are in luck if you wish to research human customs,” Avalyn began. “ There are representatives for quite about every human nation worth mentioning present on the ship, and it seems that you even got the typical ones - the Adrilan knight, the Ivellean wizard, the Federation swordsman, and the Tyrican wanderer. This should be interesting, I believe, to someone of your profession.”

Sili had long since noticed this and had been itching to take advantage of it ever since, but still, she smiled as if the information were new.

“Yes, it truly is a lucky day for me…” She began, brushing a strand of ashen hair that was vexingly fluttering in front of her eyes. “Hearing of the stereotypes is always a favorite back home - this is very good for my work.”

Sili then started to look a little shy, her cheeks and ears turning slightly pink. She wouldn’t have admitted it, but within the current interaction she was stepping outside of several cultural norms she was used to following back home, and doing so made her feel awkward - despite how such customs were meaningless in this part of the world. “You were correct earlier,” She started despite this. “Sabia is a vast land, home to many different peoples. I’d assume the place you visited was Kossa, as this side of the world considers it the “gateway” into Sabia.” By now, Sili’s uncertainty had faded, and she began to look rather excitable instead. “So where was it? Salandy? Sarais? They’re good to visit now - they’ve been at peace for almost 5 whole years. No? Maybe you’ve been to Briss, or maybe even Einodé? I do love their fabrics... The materials for this robe were made in Briss, in fact. Very soft.“ Sili then put a hand to her chest. “I’m from Kyria myself,” part of her native accent revealed itself when she mentioned her homeland, as she put special emphasis on the ‘k’ and “i” sounds, and gave the ‘r’  a slight roll - sounding like ‘kye-ree-ah’. “Though I’m sure you’d remember if you’d been there…” She smirked proudly as she let a little patriotism show as well.

“Though, honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d traveled further - you’ve got a determined about you,” she continued immediately, hardly even giving a chance for Avalyn to respond if she wanted to. “You haven’t seen Sabia until you’ve seen the Sanguine Coast. But, then again, you’re an adventurer, so maybe it’d be a little too cushy over there for you…” She put on a ponderous look and finally took a break from speaking for a moment, her tail swishing to and fro. “The Daruim. Have you been been? Never met an adventurer who didn’t want to-”

She cut herself off, shutting up as she looked up and noticed Avalyn’s tired expression. Sili realized she’d been oblivious to this for quite some time.

“Oh, um…” she spoke more quietly now, and she rubbed her neck awkwardly. “I’m not bothering you, am I?”
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Post  Berserker Sun May 15, 2016 8:46 am

«Not at all, you rather impress me. You turned a lot more confident when you began talking about your homeland, so it would seem you appreciate yours more than I do mine.» Indeed, the sabite got a lot more eager when Avalyn mentioned her brief venture into Sabia some years ago, and the change in attitude had in fact interested Avalyn to the point of shrugging away her tiredness - as if tiredness too was one of the many burdens a tyrican could easily carry on their broad shoulders. She resolved to attempt not to disappoint the kind, if slightly awkward sabite. «Kossa does sound familiar, so I do suppose we visited that land… Though Salandy and Sarais we did not bother to visit. We had only just returned from an adventure in faraway lands, with all the hard-fought battles that always come with such adventures, and so we chose to stay out of fighting at that time. Not to mention, I cannot recall seeing sabites do battle, so there was also that risk to consider.» Avalyn paused, refreshing distant memories and gazing in Sili’s general direction, though most certainly not looking at her - Avalyn’s eyes were not focusing on Sili, but rather at a point some distance behind her.

Finally, she smiled, displaying her teeth to Sili. «Now that you mention it, I have been to Kyria.» She shifted her weight, and set her eyes on Sili’s. «Your people were not the most welcoming sort, as far as I can recall. Perhaps that was thanks to the size of both me and my sword. But I found interesting parallels between your kin and my adrilan kin. Neither of you seem to be willing to pass up on a good fight, but if anyone - that being my companion at the time - looks down on your weaponry, you get awfully cross with them.» The tyrican chuckled to herself, clearly finding it entertaining. «You are both quite proud people, and with good reason, it seems. That is more than I can say about my own homeland and its nobles, so full of themselves and convinced they are free of fault.» She frowned momentarily, before her expression returned to a more relaxed state. «Oh, speaking of which, the priesthood in Silverdale would call you heretics and faithless if they knew about some of your social customs. Though I know not if the adrilans are less… liberal? about their relationships than you, or if they simply are skilled enough at arms to scare the tyrican priesthood from calling a crusade on them.» Avalyn raised an eyebrow, peering at Sili, as though Sili’s opinion on the matter was written on her forehead and Avalyn tried to read it. «All in all, though, Kyria was a fairly civilised country, and it seemed less restricted by faith and culture than Tyrica. That is a good thing.»


While speaking, Avalyn had begun pondering the difference between her own homeland and the more successful countries in the world, and particularly, if it was the tyricans’ unwillingness to fight that had gotten them into the awful position they were in. Most likely, even a country as far away as Kyria likely had their ogre problem - the giant pests were all over the world - but only Tyrica had so far been under such a heavy siege by their kind. She resolved to save the question for later, letting Sili take the word again, and quietly looked at her conversation partner with a small smile on her mouth.
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Post  Karthusin Sat Jun 04, 2016 11:44 am

The loud shambling of the heavy knight against the wooden floor could be heard from a fair distance. Sigismund made his way upon the top deck, carefully reaching out for whatever wooden bit he could in order to retain his balance. His slow footsteps soon found themselves approaching the two women, and he planted one of his gauntlets solid against the side of the small ship, holding himself down relatively well. 

"Pardon the intrusion fair maidens, I seek not to eavesdrop upon your conversation but I find the wobbling of the ship to be a greatly comforting experience and I thought that the time is ripe for us to exchange a proper greeting, now that the sand is gone from our sleepy eyes, ha ha ha!" He laughed out, and despite his seeming lack of balance when making his way up, the knight seemed to already feel right at home, even daring to lean forward a bit in order to observe the waves. Either by luck or by the will of the Gods themselves he did not break the railing or topple over upon the approach of a bigger wave. 

"Of course, should you find my company undesirable then I shall take my leave, do pardon me once more." He apologised for a second time, turning to them once his seagazing had concluded. 

For the good portion of their conversation the ship did not alternate course too much. Of course the various crew members moved about, but at this point they were mostly preparing their fishing equipment rather than anything else. The speed was adequate and the ship did not feel like it lacked control, managing to come across as relatively stable even during the harsh conditions. Their destination still wasn't quite clear. The horizon was clear of any breathtaking sights - simply the various waves that came up and down one by one.
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