Vetari learns a bit about his ancestry and meets a new friend
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A surreal cavern city inhabited by Symenestra where stones glow and streets are reams of silk. Cocoon like structures hang between stalactites and cascade over limestone flows in organic and eerie arabesques. Without a Symenestra willing to escort you, entrance is impossible.
Vetari sighed as they arrived at the spot where they had to begin their ascent. It was at the edge of the abandoned portion of the city, just where most would not first think to look. However, should they be spotted by a stray eye in the market, there would be nothing they could do. Though they would have a head start on their pursuers, beyond this point there was not any place to lose followers. The chimney lead straight up, without breaking off into smaller tunnels or cliff hangings. Often, when it rained above or the snow melted in the spring, this hole would be one of many to sob those tears. The cliff face was almost completely sheer and slimy from being wet many days of the year, with very few true hand or footholds should a non-Symenestra want to climb it. But Vetari was Symenestra.
He looked to Naomi. “You’re going to have to hold onto me if you want to make it up. I won’t be leaving you behind simply because I was born with climbing advantages,” he said, slipping off his shoes and making sure his limbs could all flex and bend. Mobility was very important now, and he would not have any room to change the position of his clothing once they began their ascent. There would be points where the space would be too tight for them to squeeze through together, and one of them would have to go first. He refused to leave her behind to fall. “Quickly, grab on. If I’m gone for too long, people will begin to ask questions.”
"Normal font in quotation marks is speech in Common." "Italic font in quotation marks is speech in Symenos." Italic font on it's own in internal dialogue.
Naomi’s hands fixed to the edges of the strange armor. She wrapped her legs around Vetari’s waist so she was firmly attached to him, she would not be falling to her death anytime soon, no sir! “Then let us hurry,” she suggested, giving a wry smile, though she doubted he could see behind his head. She hoped her legs were not in the way, they did not seem like it, but then again, she did not climb things much. The armor was surprisingly smooth. The problem was, smooth ment slippery. She adjusted her grip as he began the ascent.
Water dripped down from the ceiling off of stalactites, landing on her face, making Naomi whimper softly when a new one fell on her head. The water just beaded of the armor, which was lucky for her hands, which were already straining to stay attached. She did not like water, never had and never would. Oh, drinking it was perfectly fine, but whenever it was not in her mouth, it was a curse. Soon, from just the small drops of water, she was completely soaked, shivering on the Vetari’s back. She looked down and saw people below, walking around, going about their business. But wait, what was that? By the corner of the market, there was two people standing next to each other, one was pointing up at them. She reached into her pack and grabbed a set of caltrops out of her pack and dropped them down where they came to rest all over where they had started their descent. Anyone who stepped on one would be unable to climb after them for a few hours. She turned her head back to its original resting place, let out another whimper, and closed her eyes.
Vetari felt her fingers dig between the armor and his wraps, her legs wrapping around his waist. He jostled her a few times to make sure she wouldn’t fall before placing his hands and feet against the slick surface to begin their ascent. It didn’t take long for his limbs to tire, and he had to take short sprints rather than a single continuous climb. No matter how much he dreamed it, he was no silken dancer, he was no warrior, he was no laborer. His race was fragile by nature, and even getting to the hole in the cavern wall was a stretch on his abilities.
He felt Naomi squirm before hearing small pieces of metal hit the stone landing they had started from. He didn’t dare look down, so he asked “What was that? What did you do?” It was not accusatory in tone but curious and a tad worried. He hadn’t heard the sound before and it made him nervous.
The tiny hooks extending from Vetari’s palms and feet made his very skin ache. He was not meant to carry another being with him, his body was not built for it. His bones were light and made for speed, not to bear great weight. But he held fast, determined and empowered by his will to live and his unwillingness to let Naomi die at the hands of his people.
When he got through the hole he propped his legs up against the cavern wall, leaning against her body for a moment for support. “Sorry if that’s uncomfortable,” he said politely and quietly, though he was fairly light and applying just enough pressure to support the two of them. “I’ve never carried someone up with me before. We may need to take a few stops along the way so I don’t tire out and slip. It’s a long way down, even from here.” They’d already ascended 50 yards, but they had nearly half a mile left to go. Near the end it would flatten out and one would emerge to see the peak of the mountain Kalinor hid beneath. It was a beautiful sight he hoped Naomi would get to see.
"Normal font in quotation marks is speech in Common." "Italic font in quotation marks is speech in Symenos." Italic font on it's own in internal dialogue.
Naomi thought about lying, like the humans did. But that practice seemed pointless and counter productive. “Oh? Those were caltrops coated with poison. They made a bit of a clinking when they landed, but I think only we heard them. It is to make those two men that saw us not be able to follow,” she explained to Vetari simply, wiping her hand on her dress. Prolonged exposure to skin is not good in the case of most poisons. Did he know what caltrops were? Bah, she was too wet to think. She longed to feel the Bright One’s gaze on her back to dry her, but here was not his abode. Soon they came to a hole, which he climbed through. He propped them up against the wall by putting his legs on the opposite wall and forcing them into the other. It might have been comfortable, had it not been for her breasts, into which the armor was now squishing. She shifted her position so the rough part of the armor was in a different place, making it much more bearable.
“I’m fine,” she answered, wiping a drop of water off of her nose, “I really do thank you for straining yourself to get me out.” She agreed, 50 meter was a long way to fall, far enough that she would have to break all of her limbs to even have a hope of living through the impact. She did not know how much longer they had, but at this rate it could be hours. They set out again after a short rest and continued the long assent. She looked down once more. Her caltrops had worked, there were five spider men at the bottom, two were attempting to climb, but fell down after only a few feet. The others were clutching their feet, trying to get up then having their strength fail them, and finding themselves back on the floor. She let out a soft giggle, the caltrops always worked. Then again, this was the first time she had put them to the test on other people.
His eyes widened, frightened. “Poison? What kind of poison? It won’t kill them, will it? Oh, gods, we’re in trouble now.” Their ascent was not inspired, fueled by fear and a lack of certainty of how he would explain all this. He’d have to find a different entrance and sneak in before anyone started asking questions. Hopefully they’d only seen him from behind and had not glimpsed his face. His hair was cobweb white and long, but there were a number of boys around his age with long white hair. His clothes were not distinctive, and he had left his red robe behind in his tent, tucked away with the rest of his valuables. Most people knew him by his robes, and the lack of it should throw them off his trail for just enough time to make it back and prepare for a visit from anyone interested in knowing what was going on.
He did not dislike his people, and he knew they were good at heart. His only protest was that neither they nor other members of society had to die in order to give birth to the next generation. He thought poisoning their pursuers was crossing a moral line, but he did his best to mask his displeasure. He didn’t not mask it well. However, while it wasn’t illegal to leave Kalinor, it was illegal to poison people. Oh, gods above. Please make her life worth the trouble. If people started asking questions about where he was when all this happened he could expect a visit from the Ochya. He’d have to come up with a pretty convincing tale if they made it to his tent before he did. Or perhaps I’ll simply stop by the Bazaar on the way back to my tent and return with some food. They’ll assume I left for a meal. I hope.
The water came down more forcefully as they climbed, quickly soaking the both of them to the bone. It was freshly melted ice from the summit, and made Vetari’s fingers and toes numb, his movements slow and laborious. He’d only used this passage in the summer, when no water came down, and the added obstacle did not put him in a gentler mood. However, perseverance and the stubbornness of an ox was in his blood; Vetari hated the idea of giving up. The next time they stopped to rest his fingers were blue and the tunnel had gotten considerably more constricted.
“You’re going to have to go on ahead,” he said. “It will be hard and the walls will be slick, but together we’re just too wide to make it through that passage. The land should be less steep on the other side, but the water will be rushing. If you slip…well, we both fall a very long way.”
He gulped.
His life was in her hands now.
"Normal font in quotation marks is speech in Common." "Italic font in quotation marks is speech in Symenos." Italic font on it's own in internal dialogue.
Naomi was very cold, chilled to her very core in fact. But Vetari the thin blood seemed to be worse off then she was, his fingers were nearly frozen. She reached into her pack with trembling fingers, pulling out a small vile of false fire and a catalyst. She pulled out the cork and dropped in the catalyst. She resealed it and gave it a quick shake. It started glowing faintly and emitted lots of heat. "Put your hands on this, it is as good as any fire. Stay warm," she shivered, handing him the hot vial. She looked up the tunnel, dreading the wet climb to come. She decided she would move to the desert or something after this order was over. Hand over hand, foot over foot, she slowly climbed up the small shoot. Here hands were sore and cold, bleeding slowly from getting cut on the rocks when she slipped. But her hands were too numb to feel them.
After nearly an hour she reached the top. She chambered out of the cave, squinting in the sunlight. The Bright One was here to welcome her, and she had never been happier to see him. She stripped off her soaked cloths and Shifted, drying her fur in the sun. She let out a rumbling roar, which echoed down the mountain, making the woods far below shake. She bounded down the mountain at a full sprint, relishing in the exercise after so long under ground. Though it was a tall mountain, at 25 kph she was making great time, and reached the Foothills in a half an hour. There she curled up in the shade of a tree and rested. When she emerged from her slumber, it was near dusk, and she needed to get to the nearest town fast, because this place was not her's. She was a trespasser in this wood. She could smell a great beast's sent everywhere. She came across a road and followed it, a few feet off to the side so she would not get mugged, Vetari's prophecy fresh in her mind.
Naomi climbed over him, past the constrictive gullet of a tunnel the mountain presented them with. He saw her move with odd grace despite her obvious displeasure at the water, and he felt pulled by her beauty once again. The vial she had given him felt like bottled flame, burning away his flesh and presenting bone. But it did not, simply bringing color back into his hands and making them move better once again. Vetari shook his head, dismissing the thoughts of this woman’s magical prowess as well as the pain that came with the revitalizing fire bottle. He could not pay attention to pain now, they were almost there.
The rest of the climb was easier; the tunnels, though smaller, were now much more flat, and Vetari no longer had to worry about supporting Naomi’s weight. Soon it was easy to see the light of day as the sun arced behind the snowy summit of the mountain he lived beneath. He dropped the vial, letting the water take its warm glow down into the underground rivers, and stepped out into the welcoming rays of sunlight. He watched sorrowfully as Naomi shifted and bounded down the mountain without looking back.
“Goodbye, my friend,” he muttered with a sad smile. “May your path be free of troubles and your days and nights without strife. May your chains be light.” As she disappeared into the trees, Vetari walked in the opposite direction, in search of another way home.
"Normal font in quotation marks is speech in Common." "Italic font in quotation marks is speech in Symenos." Italic font on it's own in internal dialogue.
"Normal font in quotation marks is speech in Common." "Italic font in quotation marks is speech in Symenos." Italic font on it's own in internal dialogue.
Items/Consequences: +1 Bloodroot Vial (1d), +1 Grandfather's Journal (stolen unwittingly), and Calvino Amaranthas, the Cribellum's librarian wishes you to return the book that you took from the Cribellum before he sends the Ochya after you for theft. You have three days after the 90th of Fall, 512AV, to meet his request. The request would have come in the form of a letter via courier a day after the 90th. (That means you have two days left!)
B'Naomi Tomva
Skill
XP Gained
Observation
2
Investigation
1
Climbing
1
Running
1
Lore Gained
Vetari: Symenestra of the Violet Web
I am a Creature of the Forest
Vetari's Prophecy: I will be Enslaved
Items/Consequences: -1 Bloodroot Vial (4d), -1 Set of Clothes that Naomi was wearing at the time, +1 Set of Tattered Rags (from the clothes Naomi shifted in), -10? Caltrops. Though Naomi may have escaped, whilst she was sleeping a small party of Symenestra from the Sickle and Arrow tracked her down and recaptured her. Effectively returning her to Kalinor, and to the Nest.
If you feel I have graded you unfairly, or if you have any questions, please send me a PM and we'll work the problem out.
Notes :
Vetari There is no bazaar in Kalinor that can host tents, there is however the Orchard Market where one can hawk their wares and services. Also, the Cribellum doesn't let people check books out, keep this in mind next time (if you would like, I could run a little modded thread for you pertaining to your consequence. ). Naomi also mentioned using Bloodroot poison on three items, not two, her tamo daggers, shiv, and claws, therefore you only recieve one dosage. 4d is worth 50gm, so, 50/4 = 12.5... It should be valued at around 12gm 5sm if sold, since he only got one dose.
On another note, I like how you write out fortune telling, involving divinity to the cards is awesome. I'd like to see a tarot deck like Vetari's one day.
B'Naomi I've sent you a PM concerning this thread.
by Vetari Violet on September 15th, 2013, 6:50 am 
). Naomi also mentioned using Bloodroot poison on three items, not two, her tamo daggers, shiv, and claws, therefore you only recieve one dosage. 4d is worth 50gm, so, 50/4 = 12.5... It should be valued at around 12gm 5sm if sold, since he only got one dose.
