Looking Up (Closed)

Talya takes a break from her time in the city.

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While Sylira is by far the most civilized region of Mizahar, countless surprises and encounters await the traveler in its rural wilderness. Called the Wildlands, Syliran's wilderness is comprised of gradual rolling hills in the south that become deep wilderness in the north. Ruins abound throughout the wildlands, and only the well-marked roads are safe.

Looking Up (Closed)

Postby Talya on June 20th, 2015, 12:09 am

Timestamp: Summer 34, 515 AV

She had needed to get away, so she packed her bag with whatever she had left, strung it over her shoulders, and left her temporary lodgings behind. Talya crossed portions of the dock, her soles clicking softly against the wooden boards, before shuffling through the grass, near inaudibly as she moved through the green. The sun beating down upon her shoulders, her skin, used to far harsher rays, and heat than what she experienced in Zeltiva, with the cool air and breezes which often blew in from the bay. As she moved, she drew her hair into a braid, and kept her eyes on the ground, the darkness of them, she found, unnerving a fair number of the local people, although on the whole, they seemed far more accepting of her than the humans of Ravok had been. In any case, she still found that she needed to get away from these people all the same, and decided to spend some time out in the Wildlands, enjoying nature before the darkness set in. Perhaps sampling some of the local flora, if not taking the time to be privately childish, and climb a tree or something of that nature.

So, Talya made her way out of the city, and into the outskirts of the Wildlands, which was marked by a smattering of trees, and rocky outcroppings. Over these she climbed until the terrain began to change again, into a series of lightly rolling hills marked by either grass laden with aging dandelions, or dirt. If not patches of each. The soil itself parched, and packed hard, easy enough to walk upon if you had the right equipment, (which for the most part, Tal did given that she was wearing suede leather boots). Gradually, more and more trees began to appear upon the horizon, until Talya found herself submerged within a sea of trees about a bell later- a mixture of evergreens and oaks for the most part. Oaks mainly, by the look of things.

Talya pushed aside a low hanging tree branch, keeping it from hitting her in the face as her eyes grazed over all that surrounded her. She saw trees mainly, although there were squirrels here and there. Some perched on branches, eating acorns, others simply staring down at her with their beady black eyes, as though to maintain a sort of surveillance, either to see if she would take their food, or try to use them as such. Luckily for them, she had not a single ranged weapon on her person, and could not hunt them no matter how dully her stomach rumbled. Others at least, left her be, as she left them be; scrambling up the side of trees and burrowing into the thicket of several bushes, which served as the forest's underbrush.

Sometimes, she'd notice a chipmunk burrowing under a raised tree root. At others, she'd make note of a few rabbits burrowing into their warrens. She'd simply laugh at them, at their fear, as she made her way through, looking for other things she could enjoy the presence of. Things besides the sun's light, whose streamers of golden light continually shone through the spaces between leaves and branches, casting long shadows across the forest floor, to put a smile on her face, and ease the tension out of her heart and soul. She was lucky, she found, that after awhile, she noticed a few wild strawberries settled into the center of a grassy patch. She wasn't sure they would be edible however, and left them, instead simply marveling at their small size in comparison to regular strawberries before moving on. At which point, she spent the next few bells searching, and finding things such as honeysuckle to lick clean, and a few daisies and dandelions to admire momentarily. Wishing she had brought something to practice drawing, or something to press them in. If not harvest them, so she could figure out how to use them to her benefit for later.

She would have to remember for later; for next time.

A next time, which seemed as though it had come upon her within a heart beat, for as she looked up at the sky, Talya realized that she had lost track of time. That it was long past noon, and heading into the latter portion of the day, where the sun was just beginning to set. She sighed, as she studied the way the sun was sinking, the way the clouds roamed across the sky like a herd of headless sheep, and realized that the sun would set within the next hour or so, plunging the world into the dark blanket of the night.

Talya feared that she would not be able to make it back to the port city of Zeltiva before the sun finished setting, and decided that she would have to spend the night in the Wildlands before heading back in the morning. Unluckily for her, since she hadn't planned on spending the night, she had left her tent back in the inn, and would have to improvise for her time spent out in the open. Thus, she made it of the utmost importance to build a shelter, especially before her patron god Leth took to the sky, and she shifted into her more natural form. She began the process by looking for an ample space to build her shelter- once which not only had enough room, but would make her life easier by providing something to work with. A frame by which she could build off of. Unfortunately, there proved little to work with, as the ground was flatter where she was, and the trees younger, their trunks far less thick than in other areas she had seen. There were no rocky outcroppings here either, no cavernous areas for her to build a sort of wall over, and shelter herself for the night.

So, Talya realized, she would have to build the shelter entirely from scratch, with whatever she could find around her- leaves, dirt, twigs, branches, maybe a few vines such as ivy. But not much else, if anything else. Knowing this would be difficult given her lack of experience in the field, she set to work immediately in the hopes that she would just have enough time to finish before the night came, or that she would finish shortly after it had, and she would be safe in whatever she produced.
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Talya
Darkness Becoming
 
Posts: 317
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Joined roleplay: March 5th, 2015, 5:10 am
Location: Wildlands/Zeltiva
Race: Ethaefal
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Looking Up (Closed)

Postby Talya on June 20th, 2015, 12:10 am

Talya set out immediately to locate the things she would need to build a shelter, and bring them back to the base she had designated. A small clearing in the center of a few oak trees, where the grass had died off, leaving the ground barren. A patch of dried dirt, through which hoof prints could be seen walking through. Talya searched the area, and found that she had no trouble finding the things that she would need. She gathered several sticks, twigs, and leaves and brought them back to camp, where she dumped everything in a pile. She found no ivy, and decided to set out again to see if she could find any to use, as well as some more supplies, as having extra of everything had a nack for proving itself useful. On her second trip, Tal found much of the same, as she did with her subsequent five other trips, and on the last, decided to give up on the ivy and simply begin to build, as it wouldn't be long at all before the sun set.

When she got back to camp, Talya began her work by sorting each object she had rounded up into three separate piles- one for twigs, one for sticks and branches, the last for leaves. Making sure, all the while, to weed out those that had grown dry and brown, as she doubt they would be very useful to her. When she was done with this task, Talya grabbed the two tallest branches, and the leaned them against each other so that they formed a triangle with the ground. She then reached for another two, and placed these directly beside the first pair, so that they formed a pointed arch. When she was done, she placed her right hand atop the points to keep them steady as she continued to work- reaching for some twigs which she first tried to press into the spaces between the wood, (which didn't work, as they either fell through, or were snapped in two). Which left the Ethaefal to try weaving them in and out so they stayed put a bit better. Although, several still were too short and wouldn't work, and others broke, while some worked alright. She continued to work down this first section until it was done and the empty spaces where the air could get in had been minimized.

Talya then added another two sticks to the structure, and repeated the process. When she was done, she left the structure for a bit, and retrieved some mud from nearby, and began pressing it lightly against what she had built, like a sort of paste not only to help keep things together, but the air from getting in. Talya then added another two sticks, which were shorter than the others, and made the structure dip suddenly at the end, but she didn't allow herself to fret, as she supposed this wouldn't make it any less sound when she was finished, and because it meant that she could use less "packing material" to fill in the spaces. When she had satisfied herself with this area, she found that she needed more kindling, and went to retrieve more twigs and leaves before returning to camp and finishing her structure. Being sure to add extra mud to keep it in place as the sun finally set and she shifted into her unworldly form as she dry washed her hands, wiping some of the dirt that had become caked onto them off.

In the end, when she backed away from her structure, Talya found that it looked like a crude tent, slightly lopsided, with bits of twig and other vegetation poking out here and there. But she supposed it would do, as she only had to be there for one night. Satisfied then that the matter of her shelter had been settled, Talya decided to finish her camp off by building a fire, which would not only help to ward off hungry and potentially dangerous animals, provide more light than what the moon and its stars could, but keep her warm. Luckily now she wasn't hungry, and didn't have to worry much about food or water, and could concentrate solely on the production of the fire. So, one last time, she set out from camp and retrieved a mixture of branches and kindling before returning. The moon's milky light serving as her guide as she dropped her things a few paces from the shelter, and tucked her hair behind her ears before getting onto her knees and sorting everything again.

Once each item was in its own separate pile, Talya reached for two sticks and pressed their points together, so that they formed a triangle with the ground. She then added another two to this, so that they formed a pyramid with a point in each of the four cardinal directions. Slowly, she continued to work her way around, until everything fell over and she was forced to start again. On the second try, she managed to build a teepee out of the sticks, with a small opening just in front of her. Talya then reached for the kindling, and tucked it neatly into the center of the teepee she had just made. With that final step done, Talya drew a ring around the teepee with a remaining stick, she wasn't sure why, she had just seen others do it from time to time with their own fires, and decided to mimic them. At the end, she took a deep breath, dry washed her hands, and retrieved her flint and steel from her pack, before drawing closer to the fire so that it would be easier for her to light.

In her right hand, Talya held the flint, in the left, her steel. Slowly, she raised the steel, before sweeping it back down rapidly and drawing it across the length of the flint, so that it produced a soft clicking sound. She moved her hands a little closer to the opening of the teepee, and tilted her right hand, so that the flint was angled in the direction of the kindling. Her knees shuffled closer to the site of the future fire as she kept on striking the steel against her flint, over and over again until the air around her hands began to grow warm, and she formed a few sparks. The first few didn't catch, but after a few tries, fire took to the kindling, and a soft crackling could begin to be heard as dancing orange flames rose from a bed of twigs. Smiling to herself, Talya tucked the flint and steel into her dress pocket, before bending down to blow on the flame, fanning it gently so that it steadily rose to lick the underside of the teepee. A thin tendril of smoke snaking up and through the empty spaces, and into the night sky as the flame found its reflection in her irises, and as she drew away, steadily grew until it flit through the sticks as they blackened and the bark turned to ash.

Talya dry washed her hands again. Now that the fire was finished, she knew she would have some time to herself before returning to the inn in the morning, which meant that now was as good a time as any to look up at the sky and enjoy the stars.
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Talya
Darkness Becoming
 
Posts: 317
Words: 433400
Joined roleplay: March 5th, 2015, 5:10 am
Location: Wildlands/Zeltiva
Race: Ethaefal
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Looking Up (Closed)

Postby Talya on June 20th, 2015, 12:11 am

The sky was filed with them. Orbs that burst with rays of silver; if not a bright white, or bright white tinted gold. Each dazzling in their own way. Talya traced them lazily with her eyes for several moments, trying to determine, which would sparkle next in their series, as though they saw her watching, and were smiling just for her. Talya was wrong every time she made a guess, but she still had fun with her little game, until she decided it was time to do something else. Practice mainly, identifying the stars and their groupings. Constellations, to see how much she could recognize, and if it were more than the last time she tried to name as many as she could. She began by scouring the sky, and allowing her eyes to settle only on those stars that stood out to her for one reason or another, whether it be because of their coloration, or their brightness, size, or something else altogether. In this way, she was able to recognize a constellation she called Calidy. It was a grouping of twenty stars that formed the image of a little boy holding a lily in his hands, bashfully offering it to the girl he had a crush on. There was no depiction of her that Talya could find, but she imagined her laughing as she plucked the flower out of his hands and ran away crying that he had cooties.

The next constellation that Talya recognized was one of about five stars that formed an urchin. The following, was one that she called Stinolig, which was the depiction a hunter made out of 30 stars. Slung over his shoulder was a quiver, and in his hand he held a bow, already nocked with an arrow held deftly between his fingers as he crept around the sky, chasing the deer constellation she had found not far from him. Nibbling on starry grass piles, as other wooden creatures kept a look out for any potential threats that may try to do the majestic creature harm. On some nights, Talya imagined that the two would never cross paths, and others, she pictured them meeting. Stinolig hiding behind a tree as he lifted his bow, took aim, and shot. Sometimes, his aim would prove true, and the buck would fall, in others, the buck would get away. Running across the sky at rapid paces that Stin could scarcely keep up with, leaving him to track the beast for days until they met up once more, and the dance of the hunter and the hunter began all over again.

The final constellation that Talya recognized was known as rescp, which was made up of a tight grouping of six stars, that simply, created a wide grin. Talya had never found a face to make it a part of, and at times, found the broad grin to be rather unnerving, despite the fact that it seemed a warm enough smile. One she imagined a person would make the day they were wed, when they saw their bride or groom again for the first time. Or the smile a girl makes after seeing her best friend after a long time spent apart. Or the smile of two loving parents, looking down upon the face of the child they had created together for the first time. Or the smile of a child in a candy store, or after they had snuck their hand into the cookie jar a few times and eaten all of the cookies that were to be had. (Or at least, all the good ones). The smile of a dog when it first sees its owner come home from a long day at work. The smile of a very, very happy entity.

Having satisfied herself then, with her viewing of the stars, Talya decided that she would shut her eyes for awhile, although she didn't feel particularly tired, as she knew she had a long day ahead of her. So she picked herself up off the ground, and wiped herself off a bit, before stretching the soreness out of her muscles, and gingerly, setting herself inside the structure. She used her pack as a pillow, and tried to close her eyes, but the ground was to hard, and when she rolled over, she knocked a few sticks out from her structure, and it collapsed lightly atop her with a soft thud. She ignored it however, as the mud stuck to her skin and clothes, and the sticks resting against her, as it was late, and there was little she could do to mend it now. So it would just have to do for the night she spent out in the forest.

And it would.

Because it was just good enough.
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Talya
Darkness Becoming
 
Posts: 317
Words: 433400
Joined roleplay: March 5th, 2015, 5:10 am
Location: Wildlands/Zeltiva
Race: Ethaefal
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Looking Up (Closed)

Postby Elias Caldera on July 2nd, 2015, 4:22 pm


Behold, Your Just Reward!


Talya


Experience and Lore :
Skills
  • Observation +3
  • Wilderness Survival +3
  • Foraging +1
  • Astronomy +1

Lores
  • Making Do With What You Have
  • Astronomy: Stories in the Skies


Miscellaneous :
Injuries
  • None

Loot and Expenses
  • None


Comments :
    Enjoyable as always.

    I think next time, Talya needs to find a wilderness companion to go with here on one of these jaunts into the forest so she can impress them with all her new survival skills.


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Elias Caldera
Playa
 
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