Ocean's Last Breath [Nathan Longstride]

[Cachet]

31st of Fall 511AV The day was just starting, the sun was coming up and people were beginning to fill the streets in celebration. There were all sorts of things going on today. Some of them out in the open some of them not. It was the Pumpkin Festival. All sorts of things would be going on all day and all this season to be sure. Plenty was to be had and that was the truth. Nathan had just gotten to the Isle and immediately he could tell that there was all kinds of things going on. Plenty of people scurrying about setting things up for all kinds of reasons. But one thing was sure, this wasn’t a small fishing village. No the ornate construction far surpassed that of any simple fishing village he could imagine. This place was about beauty and opulence. And there was still much that he would never see, that was beneath the surface of the silver lake. He could venture to see these places but the truth was that is what separated the people of this place from many of the guests. Half if not more of the city was under water in the lake. And if it was half as beautiful as what was above water…well it would indeed be quite the spectacle. Plenty of adventure was to be had, especially since Nathan had tempted fate. There was indeed something special in store for him. Unknowingly there was going to be quite an interesting day ahead for him. As the sun rose the streets filled with Konti women. All beautifully blond haired and beautiful. Some wore long blue dresses, others chose white or a sea foam color. But whatever the case they were all beautiful. Every last one of them. Some would say this place was heaven. An isle of beautiful women…so many beautiful women. And none of them carried any weapon, that was visible anyway. They were all so kind, and gentle. And they were all so…young looking. In fact almost none of them looked above the age of twenty…and that was a stretch. Even the children were all female, and were spinning mirror images of their mothers; blonde hair and wonderfully colored eyes….where were the men of this race? It was interesting… And would certainly put an interesting set of ideas through his head. But one thing was for sure, everyone seemed at ease here for one reason or another.

[Nathan Longstride]

Thanks for posting this up. Didn't provide much, so I reposted this post, so we can then go on with this thing you have planned for me. Can't wait.

After living in Zeltiva for ninteen years, wandering Mura would seem like visiting a small fishing village. But the architecture of the buildings impressed the teenager, sending him down side streets into places where he didn't know where they led to. In fact, once leaving the harbor, Nathan was lost, not knowing his way around the city. It wasn't that he was shy, but all the Konti, which he noticed were all girls, were all beatiful with their silky blond hair, and he tensed up. So after walking past another clump of women talking, Nathan turned the corner. Walking down the street, Nathan stuck his hand in one of the twenty-four pockets of his robe, clutching the hilt of his father's old dagger. It was plain steel with nothing special, but he enjoyed his gift from his father, and it soothed him to just hold onto it. The robes hid his linen shirt and black breeches, with only his low cut boots visible. Along with the one dagger in her was holding, two more were in pockets. Not that he needed protection in Mura. Nathan found a nice little place to rest, sitting down on the ground. The white robe would probably get dirty, but if he was willing to get blood on it, he can do with some dirt. Shrinking into his own thoughts, Nathan wondered what he could do. So far he had wandered, admiring the city, but he wanted something, anything to do. He considered using his gnosis to have something happen, but decided not to. He needed it for more important. But he did ask from Kelwyn to provide something random. He was ready for anything to happen, but he wasn't ready for what would happen.

[Cachet]

OOCYeah I just needed general information about what you did once you got here. So I had to post something generic to start it, so let’s get this started shall we? Tempting the fates was never much of a good idea. Because sometimes they provided in ways you could never imagine. The wind here was calm, and would hum gently through the alleys and between the buildings. It was a warm yet gentle breeze; pleasing actually. Such was the city of Mura. Everything seemed calm on the surface; but that was indeed on the surface. Just as an ocean seems serene at times there can be much more going on just below. The wind would seem to whisper to him, gently ever so lightly. At first he would doubtlessly discount its occurrence. Maybe his mind was making it up. And indeed that may have been the case. Konti women moved all around the streets preparing for the festival. Hanging up tapestries, placing intricately carved pumpkins. The isle was very much alive. They didn’t seem to pay him any particular attention as they moved about. Every now and then one may notice him sitting there. But they didn’t pose any questions. They were busy. Again….there it was again. The faint whispers. Except this time he could discern a direction. West…that was where it seemed to be coming from. It was odd that he could discern a direction. Being that he was in the center of the city there was nothing but buildings and such to the west. To his knowledge anyway. And if he kept going long enough he would eventually reach the ocean, because Mura was an island. The words though; he couldn’t tell what they were at this point, only that they were some interesting and faint muttering. But they were words, he just couldn’t understand them. They were speech…weren’t they? But thy seemed so very distant. So very far away. And if he turned his head just right with his ear pointed west he would catch the strongest glimpse of these words. An interesting phenomenon.

[Nathan Longstride]

It seemed to Nathan that over the slight breeze that carried the noises around him would overwhelm other noises, but for some reason, he heard a soft whisper dancing around him. He watched three Konti woman stand on a street corner, hanging up a taperstry. At first, he thought it was them, but they were all quiet in their work. Another, younger woman was setting carved pumpkins out, and she was singing to herself, so Nathan put the noises on her. With that, he went back to admiring those women. And then it came again. . . This time it came from a different direction. How could he decide which direction it was coming from? He glanced back to where he had thought the woman who made the noise was, and she was gone. And yet the soft whisper continued slowly coming to him. The other woman didn't look up from their work. Did they even hear it? He turned his head back in the western direction, and barely caught indistinctive words. He wasn't going crazy. Standing up, Nathan stuck his hands his pocket, and began to walk west. He didn't know where he was going, or what he was following. Uncertainity aside, Nathan was going to meet this random happening. Kelwyn had delivered, but what exactly was in the gift they delivered.

[Cachet]

It was odd, only a faint almost inaudible whisper to him. Especially with all the other noise around him. Women were moving things around and conversing in a language that he didn’t understand. It seemed they did indeed have their own language. Great, but it also seemed that they understood and spoke common well also. That was a relief. He wasn’t sure nor could he really make out what the whispers were in. They were faint and seemed to travel with the wind…Seemed to travel with the wind. When the wind blew the hardest the whisper would be a little louder, but still unable to really be interpreted. It seemed like he was the only one who heard it. Which was odd. Was he special in some way or another? Or was he just not really preoccupied? That would be a better explanation, because he really did have to listen intently to catch the whisper on the wind. The voice wasn’t getting much louder as he moved West. He would find himself weaving through town until he saw a long path that extended out to the beach. The path was straight actually. He was on the edge of town and he could see footprints in the dirt, they were small and likely belonged to the women of the isle. None of them looked heavy or deadly. But looks could and often were deceiving. But as he stood there thinking the breeze came again and he heard the whisper. But it was still barely audible to him. Almost like it traveled a great distance, or had trouble reaching him in the first place. It had become slightly louder but he still couldn’t pick out words or phrases yet. Almost like the message was being scrabbled in its delivery. It was odd but he felt the urge to continue. He could hear the distant sound of the ocean in the distance. The smell of the ocean spray gently enticed him to come further. The path was straight, although long. It would only take him a mere fifteen minutes walking to set his feet on the warm sands of the ocean. Maybe once he got there things would become a little clearer for him.

[Nathan Longstride]

Nathan must've looked awkward in the eyes of the beatifiul Konti women, moving farther and farther through town, stopping often, as if listening to others. Nathan learned early that these women didn't understand what he was saying, both in language, and what he was actually talking about. Five minutes into his little journey, he stopped and asked a woman posting signs about why the wind was speaking to him. He expect a casual answer, something along the lines of it happens often, but she scolded him in a different language! Not understand, his cheeks flushed, and he about ran down the street, pausing when out of view to hear the wind again. But even know, heading closer and closer to the edge of town could not decide if the second person's reaction he asked was any better. This woman could speak common, but she called him crazy, telling him not to jest with her when she was very busy. Granted, she said it politely, with a tight smile, but her tone was like ice. Whistling a tune, Nathan turned and walked away. So Kelvic could shapeshift and Isurians have giant right arms, but Konti can't hear the wind? In the beginning, Nathan thought some others could hear it. He hoped anyone else would be heading in the general direction he was traveling, straining to hear the voice in the wind as he was. And strain he did, the voice never growing in volume for easy hearing. Alas, it seemed Nathan was the only one who could hear the voice. And in a foriegn environment such as this city, Nathan didn't know if this random happening was such a good thing. Even those marked by Kelwyn could find themselves on the bad side of their random acts, and this might be justice in their eyes for always wishing for something random. But even though the wind never told him actual words, it eventually led him to a path at the edge of the city. In the distance he could hear the waves crashing on the shore, along with the salty smell of sea water. Nathan was ready to continue forward, when he noticed footprints on the path. They were small, which probably spoke of the Konti women, who all seemed to have small feet. Nevertheless, Nathan gripped one of the daggers in his pocket. For some reason, the uncertainty of whose tracks they were brought him some nervousness. He was even tempted to turn back, but when the wind spoke again, it came from the path. Sighing softly, Nathan walk onward. Fifteen minutes later, his leather boots stepped from the path onto the warm sand of the beach.

[Cachet]

Nathan didn’t look too awkward to the Konti women. They were used to people who had unique gifts; sometimes they saw things, or heard things and couldn’t explain it. Not even other Konti women could explain it to each other; other then to say they were just gifts. It was difficult to say what the woman was saying to him especially because many of them spoke in Konti. As Nathan made his move away through the streets the Konti woman shrugged and went about her work. She understood that sometimes people just heard things for no apparent reason. Maybe that was what this man was talking about. Maybe this was a common occurrence for the women of the Konti isle. Maybe not. But Nathan heard what he heard and he was going to act accordingly. He made his way west. He reached the path that lead to the ocean. He traveled down it much like anyone would expect. He was heading for adventure, meeting challenges head on. Fifteen minutes later his leather boots set foot on the sand of the beach. He could feel the warm ocean breeze. It kicked up some sand and spread it along the beach. Again…he heard it. This time coming from the north. There out on the horizon there were two characters. Two outlines, one of them shorter than the other and the other taller. They were a considerable distance away from him; only a few feet away from the ocean. The sound he was hearing was getting stronger but he still couldn’t determine what it was telling him. As he approached the two he would see that they were Konti; he could guess from the long blond hair and medium thin stature. One of them was standing and the other was kneeling with her head hung low looking at the sand. Whatever was going on was directly involving these two. He wasn’t sure how but they both looked stressed out. The one woman standing up was speaking Kontinese, and she sounded desperate almost like she was pleading with the other. It was quite the sight to behold.

[Nathan Longstride]

With the warm breeze of the ocean blowing into him, Nathan felt he was at Zeltiva once more. No, this wasn't like like Zeltiva. The silence save for the wind and the crashing waves was soothing. It was rather odd that a beach would sound like this, after living near the port where men yelled, seagulls screeched, and wood scraped wood nonstop as cargo was unloaded. Sand blew up onto his boot and into it too, but he hardly noticed. He could bare a little sand between his toes to savor this moment alone. The wind called again, from a different direction. East, where he had come from. Had he walked past the place he needed to be. There wasn't much on that path that seemed important enough for the wind to draw him there. Turning back, he caught something in the north that he had missed when first walking onto the beach. Two figures were near the ocean, the waves probably crashing at their feet. If they had feet. . . Nathan couldn't tell from this far whether they were people or something he had never seen before. Had the wind caused him to turn to see these figures? For some reason, the figures started to draw closer, never moving from their position. Nathan hadn't noticed that he had started to move closer to them, as the wind got stronger. Nor did he notice that his fingers clenched his dagger tightly, as if these figures would attack him. But even knowing how fool a notion it was, Nathan didn't let go until he drew closer and could recognize humanoid features. What he believed was a short imp was really a woman kneeling, her face down so her pale blond hair covered her face, while a second, standing woman spoke to her in the language that Nathan was unfamililar with. Although the words rolled over his head, her tone seemed almost pleading to Nathan. He didn't understand why the pleading woman would be speaking to the one kneeling like that. Do Konti understand the term 'begging on my knees' didn't mean the person you were begging were suppose to drop down? Nathan rubbed his hand through the dirty blond bangs, considering what to do. They hadn't noticed him yet, and they were the only ones in sight. He didn't want to startle them, so first he took his hand out from his pocket. Who knew if these women weren't trained combatants, skilled in defense in men? So Nathan just stood there, watching, and hoping he didn't intrude on something important. It was funny how Kelwyn's mind worked. They enjoyed throwing followers into awkward situations, and this was one of those moments. And he didn't have anything to chew it over either.

[Cachet]

The waves would every now and then wash close to the two women and send ocean spray near them. But only near. They were sheer inches away from the oceans grasp of her waves. The scene was almost peaceful. But something was indeed not right. Something was very wrong. It was in the tone of the sanding Konti’s voice. Nathan would know them to be Konti now. The shimmer of their scales was unmistakable; that along with their long blond hair well they were indeed Konti. They also spoke the language Nathan knew nothing about. The scene before him was beginning to unfold. Slowly details would be taken in now that Nathan was close. The woman standing looked distressed, almost frantic. Her hands were shaking and unstable as she made motions as if she was going to reach out and touch the woman on the ground. But she didn’t cross a certain point. Not she kept a measured distance from the other woman. There was indeed something going on. They both wore white flowing dresses, as was common here on the Isle. They still hadn’t noticed Nathan standing there. Although he got the feeling one of them knew he was there. All those assumptions of being a shadow were flushed away when the woman on the ground tilted her head to the side and looked right at Nathan. She then smiled and spoke again in Konti to the woman standing; who immediately turned around and looked at Nathan. She was short, only 5’5”; her eyes red from what…crying? She was indeed distressed. And as the woman turned around he would see an ornate dagger in the hands of the woman in the ground. And there was some kind of shimmer on the edges of the blade. Nathan couldn’t be sure what was going on here yet. But it was a matter of life or death for someone; that much he could glean almost instantly. The woman who was standing moved over to Nathan and spoke quickly. “I have to get help” So Konti women did know common, she lowered her voice, “talk to her…keep her busy until I return. Do whatever you have to do.” She would have a brief moment to be asked questions then she would storm off with all haste to the town to gather the help she needed. What was going on here? Nathan would likely want an answer to this before he started doing anything.

[Nathan Longstride]

Nathan could only stand there and wish he could speak the language these two women were speaking. Trying to listen to them proved as much as listening to wolves howl. He could watch the body language though and understand a few things. The woman was dry-washing her hands, and she tried several times to touch the woman, but could never actually do so. He wondered why it was so hard, and the more thought he put into it, the more he felt cautious about this situation. Nathan was so enveloped in his own thoughts that he nearly jumped when the woman kneeling looked over at him, like she knew he was there the entire time. Instead of pointing him out as a spy, she only smiled and spoke to the standing woman, who glanced at him too. She was short, her eyes red for some reason. Had she been crying before he arrived? But his eyes were drawn away to the dagger the kneeling Konti held in her hand. It was ornate, but the shimmering that covered the edges was what drew his eye the most. What exactly was it? But when daggers were drawn, Nathan knew that something was wrong. Steel killed easy, and this seemed like one of those situations. And when the standing woman came up to him, pleading to keep the lady with the dagger busy, he knew something was up. Nathan looked at her crazy. How was he suppose to help? But, being the naive teenager, he planted his feet, and cleared his throat. "What am I throwing myself into exactly?" Shimmering daggers and invisible forcefields were a lot to handle. But he was going to see this through. Whatever happened, it would be interesting.