Solo The trees.

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Stretching northward along the coastline of the Suvan Sea, the Cobalt Mountains are the home of the Bronze Wood, numerous ruins, and creatures both strange and fantastical.

The trees.

Postby Ehati on May 2nd, 2013, 9:37 am

15th of Spring 513 AV

There was little noise as the day began other than the sounds of leather sliding over wool and metal grating on metal. The breathing of the knights was quiet, but in the early morning chill they left little clouds of condensation rising from their mouths with every exhale.

Aquila Brock strode among their number, her glorious form drawing stares, still, even after all this time. Her expression was haughty, as it usually was. Ehati didn't think twice about it as she tied her arm guard and then glove onto her right limb. Their company didn't wear metal armour on their arms, typically, to allow better stealth when drawing a bow. Leather did it for them. Ehati took it an extra step, though, and wore what archers in her hometown would usually wear. The differences between a sontav and a glove were always glaring, though, so she made do with an arm guard as well. Aquila didn't often comment anymore about it. The leather was stiff enough to protect her from arrows and the glove on her left hand fit underneath the leather vambrace they had her wear.

They were quiet, always had to be. Aquila insisted it would better them for when they had to get in and out of their armour in enemy territory. It made sense, in a way, and protests stopped soon after once people realised Aquila wouldn't be joking.

It was their second day on patrol in the Bronze Woods and tempers were still low. There was rain, although it was light, but complaints were still heard whenever somebody slipped in the mud and made a loud noise like a tree falling, as Aquila would remark.

The last of them finished up with their armour, a few clinking noises being the loudest sounds as a tabards were slid over chainmail and metal guardbraces glanced off the wound metal.

Packs were shouldered, and then the knights were off again on their patrol.


xxxxx


Time was crawling, for Ehati especially, but whenever she glanced upwards to see the position of the sun through the leaking clouds, she was disappointed to see the illusion of slowed time wasn't too far off from what was actually going on. The Woods were quiet, almost glaringly so, as though the animals had taken cover to avoid the rain. Every so often, she would hear something scurry away under bushes and up trees, but she didn't need to investigate to know they had startled some small animal out of its foraging.

They were marching in their patrol, circling along the edge of the Woods against the steep Mountains to the north. Not quite against the mountains, a break in the trees would show them the side of one reaching up into the endless sky gradually. To the south, the distant city of Syliras was a blur unseen through the tangle of gilded trees. To be honest, whenever Ehati was in the Bronze Woods on patrol, she never missed the comforts of Syliras. Cluttered streets choked by humans had nothing on game trails winding around trees. While not a hunter, Ehati could appreciate why hunters sought to isolate themselves so often in places like this. It was a sanctuary from the oppressive heat of civilisation that threatened to encroach upon such natural sanctuaries as the populations climbed.

"Halt." Aquila's clear voice rang through the silence as an arrow would pierce through mist, loud and clear. Ehati slowed to a stop, wary of jostling her strung bow if another knight were to run into her. The loaner may not have been hers as a personal possession, but she cared for it as much as she absolutely could nonetheless.

Aquila stood a few feet before the column of men and women in a loose formation more suited to scouting than marching. She was crouched on the ground, her glorious horns catching slanting rays of light that weren't actually there and glimmering with profound beauty that were, once again, distracting. Did she know her horns looked like the spun glass of Skyinarta's craftsmen? She probably did...

Ehati frowned and cast her thoughts in a different direction, leaning in with interest to see what it was that Aquila was investigating.
Sera Ehati, 3rd Wing, Orange Company, 1st Regiment, Silver Quadron.
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The trees.

Postby Ehati on May 17th, 2013, 5:47 am

"Sera? What are you tracking?" Credos inquired in a hushed whisper. He was right behind Aquila but his voice carried. It usually did when they were out in the wilds.

"Why don't you look for yourself?" The Ethaefal replied, testily, moving aside and scuffling the leaves underfoot as she allowed Credos forward. The balding man knelt as low as Aquila had and began to examine the ground with as much interest as she had before. "Tracks... Human tracks," he said to the rest of them. Aquila nodded. Approvingly? Ehati couldn't tell if that would have meant this was a lesson or that she thought them somewhat incompetent and was glad they knew enough to see human tracks. Although... when she thought of it, Ehati could see human tracks belonging to other races too. She shook her head before she got to musing about things she probably shouldn't even be thinking about and sharpened her attention.

"Human tracks. Unshod. That means they aren't wearing shoes." Aquila stated firmly. "Probably Kelvic, or if not then we have an idiot on our hands."

Ehati had heard stories of Kelvics but hadn't actually personally met one, that she knew of at least or remembered. Shapechangers, strange folk. Unnatural. Many rumours surrounded them, but she paid little heed to hearsay. She'd figure them out when she had one on hand to observe.

"We follow the tracks, then?" Arsil said eventually, her voice a little slower and puzzled than was necessary. There was a snicker from one of the others further back but Aquila's steely gaze was unwavering and unamused. She looked at Arsil with the faintest measure of exasperation and Ehati shared the sentiment. Arsil often asked stupid questions and made pointless observations, but her use was still much more than the annoyances she could cause. Arsil was often more perceptive than the rest of them and noticed something like drop of sap where there shouldn't be one and managed to deduce there were loggers somewhere taking resources from the Cobalt's foothills. Even if she was wrong, she was amusing to listen to and figure things out.

Aquila nodded and Arsil smiled, proud to have figured it out on her own. Aquila took the lead again and gestured Arsil closer so the perceptive one would be there right at her heel to notice things in time to act on them. Ehati grinned and followed, taking advantage of a moment of confusion to push her way forward and plant herself behind Arsil by two people.
Sera Ehati, 3rd Wing, Orange Company, 1st Regiment, Silver Quadron.
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Ehati
Knighted by the Basilisk.
 
Posts: 130
Words: 40220
Joined roleplay: April 29th, 2013, 6:57 am
Location: Syliras
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
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Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes


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