Quest [Syka Quest] Mustering For The Journey

[Lacerta]

Lacerta was surprised by the Konti approaching, but realized she really couldn't be impolite, especially on a day like this. Instead, she smiled and nodded, now focusing her attention on the new woman. She would have probably started a conversation, when she heard the familiar sound of Arumenic from behind her. Though she wasn't good at the language, the voice said... hello, he was from Ahnatep, something about... his name, and she thought he was asking about why she was here. Probably. When she turned, the creature before her was... a Pycon. A Mongoose shaped one... that might have been it's name? Through her travels, she'd encountered the race a few times before, and generally understood them. She showed little surprise on her face as she smiled, and replied "Hello. I am here as..." What was the word for sailor? She couldn't quite remember... "A sailor. Sorry, I don't speak Arumenic so well." She finished in Common, giving up on trying to find the word. The Pycon should understand Common, even if he was from Ahnatep. "So..." She started, slightly surprised at the amount of attention she'd drawn, before she was yet again confronted by another person. He greeted the Pycon, proving his name was in fact Mongoose, before offering his hand to her. He looked slightly awkward, probably since he didn't know which arm to aim for. Honestly, she couldn't blame him. To solve his problem, she stuck out one of her six arms and shook his hand. Now that this was all over with... "So... what are all you names?" She asked, in an attempt to begin a conversation. It wasn't really like her, but... it was probably best to try in a situation like this. She might as well get to know the expedition members as well, since they would be travelling and working together for quite some time.

[Kench]

"Wow...," Kench whispered, almost speechless as he wandered into the small garden. The rolling warmth of a summer night only added to the festive atmosphere, the flickering torches casting shadows of every size, all dancing as the last of Syna's light faded over the horizon. Exotic blankets covered the earth in a colorful patchwork of silk and cotton, the softest pillows clustered around low-laying tables decorated with only the richest and most exotic foods. Servants fluttered from guest to guest, offering drink and compliments, smiles and polite laughter following in their wake. Kench giggled, scurrying behind one of the servants, trying his best to copy everything the bigger being did and said. "Would you like some more..." "Only the best for Mathias..." And blah, blah, blah. Kench eventually grew bored, deciding instead to waddle over to a growing group. Mixed in race, they all seemed to be introducing themselves to a man with a smoking stick -- and not to be outdone, Kench jumped right onto the middle of table. "I'M KENCH," he declared, loudly, almost daring any one else to provide a better introduction. After all, he had picked his own name. Had any of the others?

[Jared Costavos]

If such things were possible it would seem very much likely that Syna would pick Riverfall to be her Holiest City, Jared reflected. To him it seemed almost shameful that such a blessed city did not have a single temple in her name. Of course it had always puzzled Jared why certain cities only had temples for certain deities and why, even, certain peoples only worshipped certain deities. It seemed to him that all of the Gods deserved some matter of respect. He'd once postulated to a Professor that if people had favoured all Gods equally before the Valterrian than it may not have actually occurred. Safe to say the Professor hadn't exactly praised him on that one. Had he been called ridiculous that time, Jared wondered. He couldn't remember. These things slipped his mind so easily.

Jared had lost his train of thought again but was reminded the moment he went to slip on his shirt. Synaburn! Poor Jared had went for a walk today and got himself burnt to a crisp by that most vengeful of Gods. Perhaps, Jared went back to reflecting, this is actually a punishment against the Riverfallians for not worshipping her. The conclusion seemed a bit too arbitrary and vengeful for the God but Jared felt satisfied in his own way. Like the caveman who proclaimed the first fire to be magic he too found satisfaction in simply being able to put an explanation to a thing no matter what the real truth turned out to be.

He had been fully clothed so only his head and shoulders were Synaburnt. It still hurt to put on his shirt though. The shirt itself had once been somewhat painful to look at. He had bought it himself and, knowing that it was hot in Riverfall, he had chosen the most dazzling shade of white that would burn the eyes right out of a cave dweller's head. The clothes he had brought with him originally had suffered a tragic death at the hands of Jared accidentally knocking them into the sea. The pirate, err, sailor that had loaned him clothes on the voyage had escorted him to a shop in the first port they had dropped at anchor at taking that tight-pursed stereotype of sailors for it's money. So, at the end of the day, Jared's clothing could now be summarised, in it's entirety, as white shirt, yellow trousers, brown boots, belt. Oh and a black cloak he was sure he would never need but had not been with his other clothing when he had knocked them into the sea.

The shirt was not so white any more. He'd fallen over enough that it had gained a sort of coating of dust which yellowed the fabric somewhat dimming it to the mortal eye. It almost matched his light trousers which were much less in your face about their colour. Of course neither of them quite matched his big, brown boots or his similarly coloured belt. In the midday Syna those boots had provided an oven for his toes. At one point he had brazenly stepped out of his boots. He promptly leapt back into them. He was sure that he had heard a sizzling sound accompanying the burning heat of the street floor. At least the sturdy weight of the boots had stopped him from tumbling quite so much. Of course he was unused to the weight that he had miscalculated steps once or twice and had the boots actually cause a tumble.

So it was adorned in said clothing that Jared exited his little room at the Inn. A tiny person closet it was but, despite his upbringing, Jared could not muster any contempt for his room. It was quite functional and temporary. After his cot on the ship it was rather luxurious actually.

Jared was nervous about the meeting. He did not know what to expect of the others hired for the expedition or even of the man who lead it. Matthias Syka had the brass to tell off his father and some wit, or so it seemed from his letter. There really was little else that he knew of the man besides his reputation. That was a lie too. He'd never heard of the man before though he recognised the name. Maybe he was a writer? That seemed most likely. He always forgot the names of authors.

As he prepared to step out into the Riverfallian evening he made a quick prayer to Ovek. At this juncture perhaps luck was just what he needed. With just a teensy bit of luck everything would be alright. Jared just had to have a little faith.

He stepped out and approached the festivities and boy what festivities they were. Food and drinks in such a variety as to match the truly astounding variety of people. One woman had six arms and one man was completely green but for a crop of white hair upon his head!?! Woah it was all quite a lot to take in. Jared had never seen such a wide range of races in the one place before. He was both astounded and overcome with crippling shyness. He both wanted to introduce himself and stay completely out of the way. Compared to such a range of peoples he felt quite a bit insignificant. Surely it was by some mistake or whim of kindness he had been allowed to join such a group.

Jared skirted around the edge of the festivities picking a lonely corner as far removed from the rest as possible. Jared began to pick at the food on display recognising some he liked and venturing into others that looked non-poisonous. Before long Jared had forgotten his woes content to just enjoy a meal. Food had always had a way of calming him. Luckily enough his metabolism was pretty active or he might have grown some excess padding. Then he definitely wouldn't have been invited to the expedition...

[Eleret]

The gathering only grew as others entered the garden, and Eleret very quickly gave up on determining anything even remotely useful from her Gift. The Eypharian smiled up at her, and seemed about to reply -- but then another voice interrupted the nascent conversation, speaking a language Eleret didn't know. The Eypharian language, perhaps? She turned to look towards... no, down; quite far down, at a being even shorter than the Konti herself. A Pycon, no doubt; and approaching from beyond the Pycon was what looked to be a human, grinning at the little clay creature. Did these three all know one another? Remaining standing, Eleret took a step back to ensure she was out of the way of the little reunion. But then, contrary to her original inference, the human went on to introduce himself to the Eypharian -- and the Eypharian asked for everyone's names. Her supposition of mutual acquaintances was thus shown to be entirely off-base. "I am Eleret," she supplied in passable if accented Common, smiling amiably at all three of the others. "I am --" A particularly loud self-introduction interrupted Eleret, and she looked past Sirroco to see another small clay form standing proudly in the middle of a table. The Konti gave a slight shake of her head, dismayed by the little being's lack of manners, then turned her attention back to her companions. "I am pleased to meet you all," she finished, meaning the pleasantry sincerely. Eleret herself made no move to shake hands, as both of hers were occupied. "You will all go to Syka also?" she asked, in the interests of conversation -- and not wanting to assume all of the three were going, in case that wasn't true.

[Brodon Windriver]

It rapidly became clear to Brodon that the Drykas woman's attention was being pulled in as many directions as was his own. He shrugged, knowing there would be plenty of time to get what news she had of Endrykas. In the meantime, he had gotten his voucher for temporary stabling for his horse, Lovaak. It was probably time he got him away from the garden park's entrance and into his stall.

But first, there had been a call for introductions. And he needed to give "Arrow", his hawk, a bath. Arrow was back in the room Brodon had been assigned at Atri's Place. He doubted that the tray that had been brought in with cloths, soaps and lotions had been intended to use as a bird bath, but it would serve well in that capacity.

He stepped forward, drawing a measure of attention from most of the people present, who were aware that names were being given and were taking turns. "I am being named Brodon Windriver. I have come to be like the rest of you...r...selves. For being on the journeying to Syka. I will giving my best for this effort, and...am...hoping it will being useful. I am being for fighting most part, but I am not one that is being...trying...to start them. And...now...uhh...I must be going and moving my horse."

His face had begun to redden sightly with his last remark and he gave a quick nod and walked away to bring Lovaak to the stables.

[Delani Denusk]

Only after Mathias had spoken his peace to her, or any, that gave him their greetings would Delani slip back into the crowd to resume her silent look around, studying the faces of the other expeditioners and listening closely to the nuances they might offer to this prestiged man. One, however, caught her eye quickly, the twitchy motions of his hands and excited stare marking him as one who longed to speak.

She could almost hear the Pavi he struggled to contain as his eyes watched her; the youthful bounce in his step...Perhaps he wished to speak to her? He need only approach; while quiet when it came to her curiosity, Delani wasn't outwardly unfriendly. The woman watched him even after he disengaged his eyes to make his greeting to the host.

His common was atrocious, though, the inaccurate pronunciations, the off-kilter phrasing...Dela smiled in bemusement and shook her head a little, following the man with gemstone eyes. He was heading for the entrance, where a handsome painted horse stood, having said something about moving his horse. The matron moved quickly through the throng then, slipping between servers, offering an apology when she brushed another by accident, and reaching for the young mans shoulder.

In hope he would turn upon the touch, she spoke smoothly to him, her hands gesturing in compliment to each word. "You know, if you wished to speak with me, you needed only approach. Brodon, was it?" Her smile was kind, her voice soft spoken as bright eyes studied him closely. There was an observer, keen to know and learn. "It is nice to see another of the Drykas among this crowd of strangeness. What brought you to the adventure we await?"

OOCGoing to move the dialogue that happens between Brodon and Delani to a separate thread so that it doesn't overload the mustering thread. I'll leave it marked open if others want to jump on the bandwagon of their conversation.

x

[Zakar]

Tense, nervous, Zakar felt less and less like introducing himself as he made his way into the camp. Sure, the meeting place had been marvelously prepared, giving off an air of warm welcome to all who entered. It was not this that made him so uncomfortable, nor was he generally an anti-social person. It was the fact that he was surrounded by all manner of people, of races he had never encountered (or some that he had even heard of, for that matter). He felt some relief when he saw a man wearing Benshiran attire... could it be, a brother amidst the chaos?

The small feeling of rejoice was quickly crushed when he saw an Eypharian standing in the center of all the... socializing. It was when he saw her that he wished he had not removed his turban for the meeting, now wearing it only as a scarf in the summer heat. Tucking his head down, he wandered the edges of the meeting, giving up on pursuing any form of communication.

Now, his gut was telling him to stay in Riverfall more than ever. His short stay in the city hadn't made him feel particularly at home, but it was the best life he had gotten for himself since Yahebah. Every bone in his body wished for him to settle. Why venture to a dangerous land of insurmountable peril when he was already safe here? And with a band of misfits, Eypharian included to make things worse?

It was only seeing Mathias that made his heartbeat settle, and his mind focused again. Anxious as he was, he had given the man his word, to aid him on the quest with whatever capacity he had. If he aimed to make a new life for himself, be it Riverfall or Syka or anywhere else in Mizahar, he had to stick to his values. He had already betrayed them once, and payed for that mistake dearly. So, while he still remained apart from the group that was forming, he straightened his back and stood more confidently.

[Daekos Volundur]

A splendid feast was laid out for the expedition members that evening, holding delicacies Daekos had only savoured twice or thrice in his ten years at Riverfall. Daekos spent ten minutes examining the food and tasting each available dish, all served to him by a servant who seemed to assign himself the duty of serving Daekos. Not that Daekos minded, of course.

The more superior race wins out, of course. And yet... Why then, are we superior? A question for another day - I see that I have forgotten to present myself to the host and the others who are joining me on this expedition.

Nodding to the ever-present servant who was awaiting his next command, Daekos decided to display his largesse, flicking a gold miza over to the servant. Joining the expedition had saved him coin at Atri's Place, and he was feeling particularly relaxed that day.

The sight that greeted his eyes all but overpowered Daekos, and he gaped at the ludicrously amusing Pycon that was Kench.

Daekos proceeded to laugh heartily, and was gripped in a paroxysm of laughter for a dozen seconds before finally calming down.

"I would shake your hand, little figurine, if it were not that small. Well met, Kench - my name is Daekos."

[Levissa Certier]

Levissa could not believe she had arrived in time. She had truly feared that she would be late and missed the departure of the journey entirely. Thank Dira, she did not. For days, she had been riding hard, bent on arriving in time for she had been quite unprepared. leaving slightly late. The ride was exhausting - she had just arrived earlier today - but now that she was heading to their meeting place, her fatigue evaporated into the thin air, replaced by absolute excitement.

It was actually quite a shock when the letter had came to her. She did not really think Mathias would want her, for surely there were more talented adventurers interested in his journey. It had been an utterly heart-pounding time as she waited for his correspondence. She really wanted to go on that journey. And when the letter had arrived, Levi had jumped on the first chance to leave Ravok.

After taking a quick bath at the Moonstone, she had headed back to Atri's Place and tried to make herself look as presentable as possible - she could not possibly head there with all the dirt from her travels. And her effort was not too bad. Her long hair was let loose, flowing down her back, framing her pale face. Seeing that she would not be involved in any action for the night, she had worn a black dress that nearly sweep the floor and a dark leather corset. Despite the feminine look, Levi had taken the extra care to have a knife hidden in her boot. She was not particular skilled in using a knife, but it should serve her well in the case of emergency.

The garden had been decorated rather lavishly with pillows and food and servants scattered around the place. Soft music flowed in the air, giving the place a sense of ease and relaxation. Levi had made a quick grab upon a small roll upon her arrival, sating her growling stomach a bit.

A handful of people had arrived - unsurprisingly - and she had a hunch that some more would still be coming. They seemed like an array of different people. It was a unique group, really. Lots of different races that she recognized from her travels - Konti, Pycons, even Eypharian. This probably was one of the oddest gatherings she had seen in her life - not necessarily in a bad way. Most of them seemed older than she was - at least on a quick look. She only spotted a few adolescent such as herself, and they were all young men.

Mathias Syka himself looked a lot like she had imagined him - charismatic and knowledgeable. None of the questers seemed to be engaging Mathias directly so she followed their lead, focusing on the others.

Greetings were thrown into the garden, for there were quite a number of people at one place and getting to know the lot of them would take some time. A Pycon named named Kench was particularly lively and Levi could not help smiling as she surveyed the rest of the room. Plenty of her to-be fellow travelers were already engaged in a sort of conversation. A man with a scarf across her neck and the bright eyes of a Benshiran was standing alone, looking slightly tensed. Levi came toward him and gave soft smile, "My name is Levissa, and you are?"

[Nailah]

Many days before the gathering Nailah had been waiting in Riverfall with the little patience she possessed once she had received her letter. Excitement, curiosity and no small amount of trepidation weaved in and out of her mind. It was also what made her late. Clutched in her hand was the letter Mathias had sent to her, Nailah had stood outside of Atri’s place with her free hand tucking and re-tucking a loose strand of her nervously. She finally made a move to enter when a man with a horse exited, taking in the noise, and the people who were to be her traveling companions no doubt. In the center of the fray sat a man with a smoke of some kind, he also seemed to be the only one not standing idly or looking ill at ease. There was no doubt this man was Mathias Syka. Nailah watched him for a moment, re-read her letter, and then moved forward to join the group. She avoided bumping into or touching anyone, but stood awkwardly, staring in surprise at the people she seen. People made of clay talked, and a woman who had extra arms, along with what she assumed were humans wandered and chatted. Nailah hesitated, the paper twisting in her hands before her impatience, and wanting to know won out over her nervousness. But she proceeded with caution, approached one of the men who had yet to engage in conversation is seemed. He wore an outfit similar to Nailahs own, the difference being that her shirt was a soft blue. His hair was longer than her own and tied neatly in the back. Nailah mimicked him as she approached by plucking a fruit from one of the servers but she did not eat it. She rolled the apple in her hands, focusing on the man’s forehead as she spoke, “…Hello, I am Nailah…and you are?” After a moment, she took a bit out of her fruit, her gaze flickering to meet his, then wandering back until it landed on the leader of their soon-to-leave expedition.