Follow The Leader [Vanator]

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

The Wilderness of Cyphrus is an endless sea of tall grass that rolls just like the oceans themselves. Geysers kiss the sky with their steamy breath, and mysterious craters create microworlds all their own. But above all danger lives here in the tall grass in the form of fierce wild creatures; elegant serpents that swim through the land like whales through the ocean and fierce packs of glassbeaks that hunt in packs which are only kept at bay by fires. Traverse it carefully, with a guide if possible, for those that venture alone endanger themselves in countless ways.

Re: Follow The Leader [Vanator, closed: pm to join]

Postby Hex on March 13th, 2010, 5:55 pm

"I followed the ghost, she...or he lead me here" she sat up, shaking bits of grass and dirt from her raven locks. For so long Hex survived on the grasslands, only occasionally bathing whenever she encountered a creek or river. Even when she had passed through the small Drykas settlement, she had not been able to bathe; she longed for her arrival in Endrykas, to soak in a hot water barrel and wash her hair with the citrus scented bar of soap she carried. She had paused in thought but continued speaking, "When I think of it, I knew of a stone like this once. It was different, in another place; a ghost town. The ghosts would lead me to treasures in the desert, and I'd dig them up. Maybe I've felt this energy before and didn't know it." She spoke slowly in between grunts and deep breaths as she inched the stones back over the hole one by one. She respected the cave's wishes to be camouflaged along the large rock covered hill, out of immediate sight. The stone's power in the wrong hands could have negative consequences.

When she was happy with the concealment of the tunnel, Hex gathered her bag and wove herself through its single strap until it fit securely on her back. "I'm ready to leave now, I think we have about half a day's travel until we need to set up camp."

Hex walked to the great mare Backlash, her silky hide shining under the sun's beams that fell over her form. With an air of gratefulness, Hex stroked the mare's chiseled cheek and scratched behind her twitching ears. Backlash had bravely stood watch as the two ventured down below, and Hex felt undeniably safe with her there. All the Drykas bonded horses she had met seemed to take on a capacity of intelligence that matched that of their bonded human. Effective guards and navigators, these creatures of speed and strength were both intimidating and ethereal in nature.
Last edited by Hex on March 30th, 2010, 2:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Hex
Ghost Chasing Healer
 
Posts: 267
Words: 169721
Joined roleplay: December 4th, 2009, 4:57 am
Location: Canada
Blog: View Blog (6)
Race: Mixed blood
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 2
Artist (1) Donor (1)

Re: Follow The Leader [Vanator, closed: pm to join]

Postby Vanator on March 13th, 2010, 10:39 pm

Vanator listened intently, rising to help Hex as she buried the entrance to the cave. She spoke of ghosts without fear. Many Drykas were superstitious, and fearful of such otherworldly things. He had to admit to himself that the thought of a ghost somewhere nearby made him uneasy. An unpleasant sensation crossed his shoulders and down his back, a chill that had nothing to do with the gentle breeze that lightly tugged at the travelers' loose hair.

As Hex slung he bag about her, Vanator snatched up the discarded torch and battle ax, simply nodding in agreement at her announcement that she was ready to leave.

The Drykas man, from birth, had been raised to one day lead his Pavilion. He was comfortable being a leader. At first, he chafed at Hex's strong will, the way she seemed to usurp what he saw as his authority. But Vanator soon found himself deferring to Hex in the matters of their journey. It was not a sign of weakness in his eyes, or bowing to the assertive woman's will. Hex just simply knew what to go, where to go. The discovery of the amazing cave was proof enough. The Drykas people also had respect for those who had Hex's talents. The man suspected too, that his friend could discern certain aspects of his own mood and emotions. As she always knew what to say to alleviate his concerns.

Vanator's spirit stilled tremored with fascination and disconcerted awe at the whole unnatural experience on the hillside. He was relieved when his companion was ready to move on. Vanator packed the torch and slid the battle ax through a loop on the yvas.

Giving Backlash a gentle brush on the cheek with his own, he stepped past the mare's head to the yvas and vaulted into the seat. Looking down at Hex with an inquiring expression, he asked a question he had been harboring in his heart since they headed out together from Din.

"Hex, can you tell me about these energies, like that in the stones you found in the desert, or our crystals? Are they like Djed?" He held his arm out towards her to pull her up behind him.
Last edited by Vanator on March 31st, 2010, 2:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Vanator
There is fire shut up in my bones.
 
Posts: 1371
Words: 940033
Joined roleplay: January 8th, 2010, 1:16 pm
Location: Riverfall
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 6
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Overlored (1)
Donor (1) One Thousand Posts! (1)

Re: Follow The Leader [Vanator, closed: pm to join]

Postby Hex on March 14th, 2010, 1:00 am

As if hoisted up by the breeze that stirred the air around them, Hex leap up towards the horse saddle with one arm locked with Vanator's and the other pulling on the thick leather. Her height posed the challenge of mounting horses with ease, but she was getting plenty of practice traveling with the Drykas she had met in the past season; and with a few final grunts, Hex flopped belly first on top of Backlash before adjusting herself to sit upright. As they set off at an easy pace, Hex took one last look at the spot, memorizing the scent of moist soil and animal musk that filled her nostrils like landmarks in the wind.

"There's a place called Eloab in Ekytol, the region of my people. My tribe would often explore the area where this place is and when I was young, I was set to work gathering resources for the tribe and found Eloab when I wandered from the gathering group one day. I was bored collecting kindling for the fires," she scoffed and bounced her shoulders incredulously, "so I would explore the area instead of work. I came across Eloab when I followed what looked like a floating orb of light. It looked like the center of a torch flame, it was white but visible against the desert sand because it illuminated. They don't all look like that, some ghosts look like people while others are not as distinguishable." Hex paused as she reminisced privately of her days there. "Eloab is a mysterious place filled with ghosts, and they led me places. Some who were mean would try to lead me into snake pits or dangerous sand traps, but then other ghosts would present warnings and signs and I'd know not to continue on my path. The ghosts that shared my curiosity would sometimes lead me to treasure buried in the sand of the Eloab city ruins. I was often told to take the treasures and show my family, but I followed my own intuition and kept that knowledge to myself. There were stones of unimaginable colours, crowns and headdresses, weapons imbued with gems, even small children toys made from ancient silks and embroidery. You'd think those things would be disintegrated from the sand storms, but there's something mystical about Eloab, as if protected by a divine presence."

Contemplation painted her face flat of expression as she sat straight with her hands firmly clamped onto the leather strap in front of her pelvis, staring past Vanator's shoulder at the waving tide of the grass in the wind. "The one time I encountered a stone similar to the ones we found today, was during one of my excavations; the stone was black and smooth, so very black. When I held the stone it was warm in my hand, even after being buried in the cool sands. The ghost who led me to it mentioned a name, Semele, but after finding similar stones here in Cyphrus, I am now confident that I am meant to discover their purpose." Hex yawned and slumped against Vanator's back sleepily, her cheek squashed against his leather armour. Her common speech was improving, and she still continuously had to adjust to speaking regularly, coming from a culture of visual and sensational communication. In the grasslands, one should refrain from speaking too loud for too long lest they attract unwanted visitors.
Last edited by Hex on March 30th, 2010, 2:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Hex
Ghost Chasing Healer
 
Posts: 267
Words: 169721
Joined roleplay: December 4th, 2009, 4:57 am
Location: Canada
Blog: View Blog (6)
Race: Mixed blood
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 2
Artist (1) Donor (1)

Re: Follow The Leader [Vanator, closed: pm to join]

Postby Vanator on March 14th, 2010, 11:12 am

several days later...

A dingy layer of gray clouds hung over the grasslands, concealing the warming rays of the sun and carrying a cool breeze down from the north. Vanator had donned his cloak to ward of the subtle chill, silently appreciating the warmth afforded to him by Hex's nearness behind him.

The sturdy Strider veered to a south west course at the behest of her riders, not so much relying on Vanator's ability to locate their destination as a Drykas, but on the tug that had burned in Hex's spirit since they left the hidden tunnel. The journey across the seemingly endless plains had been passed in silence, interrupted periodically by Vanator's attempts to coax tales out of the Chaktawe-Drykas woman. He was fascinated by the stories of the desert and the mystical encounters Hex had experienced. Her storytelling had passed many an hour on the long trail to their destination. It had only stoked his curiosity of his dark crystal, which, while sitting around the evening fires, he would often pull out and hold, staring into its amber facets as the stone's illumination swelled in his grasp. He sensed Hex quietly watching him while he contemplated the crystal's purpose, the one thing the mystic had not been able to fortell.

The tendrils of smoke rising from the horizon had not been discernible from the overcast sky at first. But the horseman's attention was soon drawn to the dozens of telltale fingers drifting upwards and disappearing as they seemed to join the cloud bank.

Endrykas.

Vanator straightened his stiff back, turned his head over his shoulder and laid a hand on Hex's knee, a subtle tint of excitement in his voice. "Hex, do you see it? It its not far now." As if to confirm his announcement, the faint thunder of hooves drifted across the grass and a distant group of riders could be seen galloping toward the city.
User avatar
Vanator
There is fire shut up in my bones.
 
Posts: 1371
Words: 940033
Joined roleplay: January 8th, 2010, 1:16 pm
Location: Riverfall
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 6
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Overlored (1)
Donor (1) One Thousand Posts! (1)

Re: Follow The Leader [Vanator]

Postby Gossamer on March 29th, 2010, 4:45 pm

Image


Hex
Experience: 2 XP Observation, 1 XP Leadership, 1 XP Auristics, 2 XP Spelunking, 1 XP Storytelling
Lore: Caves/Tunnels Beneath Cyphrus, Mele (Semele's Gnosis - Incomplete)


Vanator
Experience: 2 XP Interrogation, 2 XP Spelunking, 1 XP Leadership, 1 XP Riding (getting horse to guard)
Lore: Eloab (Incomplete), Caves/Tunnesl Beneath Cyphrus, Mele (Semele's Gnosis - Incomplete)

Additional Notes: I would prefer that you not introduce new concepts, even if they are hinted at in the wiki, like Mele (stone powers) until they are elaborated in writeups only because they are not going to work anywhere near close to what Hex has described here nor do we have any plans for crystal power type things in the works. If we introduced something like this, it would usurp Semele's power and be redundant. I will try to get that writeup done asap, but until then please try to stick to known concepts. Even DS's need to get permission via WD to introduce new concepts like this. I think the introduction to the cave system was pretty cool. Also, ghosts are seen either by people (if they are powerful enough) or not, independent of Auristics. So both would see it... though by and large the vast majority of ghosts are invisible unless a pc has spiritism.
Image
BBC CodeHelp DeskStarting GuideSyka
User avatar
Gossamer
Words reveal soul.
 
Posts: 21137
Words: 6356204
Joined roleplay: March 23rd, 2009, 4:40 pm
Location: Founder
Blog: View Blog (24)
Race: Staff account
Office
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 11
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (1)
Lore Master (1) Artist (1)
Trailblazer (1) One Thousand Posts! (1)
Hyperposter (1) One Million Words! (1)
Extreme Scrapbooker (1) Power Fork (1)

Previous

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests