Completed Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Shadyn saves Arrmal, earning the respect and loyalty of Xarrt the Wind Eagle

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The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on August 31st, 2015, 10:31 pm

13th of Autumn, 513 AV

The sky had called to him as long as he could remember. His earliest memory was of a great Wind Eagle -- Xarrt -- cupping him gingerly in his massive talons and soaring high into the sky. Xarrt had spoken to his mind that day, and though he had been just a child, the words still rang clear as ever.

"Do you see the land far below? Do you see the horizon far distant? Do you see the clouds, and the snow and rain and wind and ice that they carry? This, my child, may one day be yours. Though you may never rule this land from throne and palace, you may rule it in spirit. I feel that you can become great, become -- dare I say it -- perfect. But perfect in the sense that matters: you can learn the perfection of the heart, mind, and spirit. You have a long road before you, but remember this, keep it bound within the unfathomable storehouses of the heart, and it will serve you far better than all the training this world can give you."

Later that day his teacher had required him to write down the best thing anyone had said to him that week. Most of his peers had written childish drivel, but he had diligently copied down everything Xarrt had told him. Now, he wondered if Xarrt had planned that...
Last edited by Shadyn on September 23rd, 2015, 10:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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Shadyn
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:48 pm

"Shadyn! Mind your work."
Arrmal's reproving voice snapped him back into reality. He was hanging from cables on the sheer cliff of Mt. Skyinarta's crater, chiseling out precious and semiprecious stones with his surrogate father. He shifted his katinu closer around himself. It was techinically the first day of autumn, but in the high reaches of Kalea's northern mountains it felt more like winter. Not that he minded, for he loved cold weather. Arrmal told him that it was in his blood.

He aimed his chisel at a particularly promising looking stone embedded in the rhyolite granite. The chill of the half-frozen steel of both the chisel and the hammer had already worked its way through his sontavs and deep into his hands. For him, at least, it was invigorating, though he knew that Arrmal would be complaining that night.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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Shadyn
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Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:54 pm

The motion was well practiced, for him -- two strong hits above angled down, two on the left angled right, two on the right angled left, and two below angled up. He slipped the hammer into the loop on his tool belt and tapped the stone once with the head of the chisel. It popped into his waiting hand. He examined it for a moment.
"I think I got a good emerald. Maybe...twelve carats...give or take."
As he slipped it into the jewel back on his hip, Arrmal called back, "Excellent! That's better than I have been doing over here...we need another active spell to bring up more stones."
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:55 pm

Two hours passed in this manner, as they had for days and days before. The interior cliffs of the volcano's caldera were covered with various ropes and anchor points that had been placed and left by climbers over the centuries. They were manning some of the oldest ropes today, since many of the newer areas were regularly combed over by Yasi. Suddenly, there was a crackling sound, like the popping of fresh pine wood on a fire. Arrmal gave a cry as the loops of rope wound about his torso snapped in rapid succession. He was left dangling by one hand as his tools plummeted into the steaming pit far below.
"Shadyn!"

Shadyn had been working about a hundred feet away, and jumped at the cry. To his horror, he saw Arrmal swinging like a pendulum, the anchors above him pinging out of the rock, each time dropping him another fifty feet. He yelled up to the top in the hopes that a rider would here, but no one stirred outside today except for one lone eagle, who seemed not to hear. Frantically, he took off his tool belt and tied it to the rope where he was working.

"I'm coming down there!" Ping...another fifty feet. Shadyn raised his voice more. "TRY TO GRAB ONTO SOMETHING TO STOP THE SWINGING! YOUR MOVEMENT IS YANKING OUT THE ANCHORS!" Either he did not hear, or was unable to do so, but for whatever reason Arrmal did not respond. Shadyn rushed to unwrap the ropes from around him, leaving him hanging in much the same manner. "Dear gods help me!" With that, he lept.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:55 pm

He slammed into the rock much harder than he anticipated, and skidded past the rope he was aiming for before going airborne again. His fingers brushed another rope and instantly closed around it. He resisted the urge to lock his knees around it and slow how fast he was sliding, since to do that would have jerked the anchor free just like Arrmal's. He kept his hands loose to prevent his sontavs from burning through with the friction.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
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Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:55 pm

PING! "SHADYN!"...Arrmal dropped another fifty feet. He was beginning to draw dangerously close to the bottom of the crater. Though it was not currently active, superheated steam and poisonous gases would quickly produce death even when a hundred feet above the actual bottom.

As the end of his rope zipped towards him, Shadyn began rocking his legs to gain momentum sideways: he needed to land on the rope beside Arrmal to pull him up. Suddenly, though, the end of the rope vanished from between his hands faster than he was prepared for, and he smashed into the next anchor below him. The blow to his shoulder gouged deep, but it did fling him in the right direction. Pain shot through his body as he clawed at the rock, gradually slowing him until his fingers caught a ledge only ten feet above Arrmal.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:55 pm

He eyed the next anchor as it worked its way loose, and realized that he only had a few more seconds to reach him. Years of practice kicked in, though, and he was able to follow a small fissure down at an angle to Arrmal. In another moment, Shadyn had him safely on his back. Now he was faced with the issue of climbing back up. Already the noxious fumes were burning his throat.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:56 pm

The extra 160 pounds on his back only made matters worse. Pain arced through his wounded shoulder, and his arm muscles screamed out against being forced to work through lactic acid exhaustion. Minutes pounded their way into an eternity as he slowly edged up to the nearest secure rope. Once there, he quickly tied a barely conscious Arrmal into a sling behind him, and began to pull them up together. Before the cables had given out, they had been nearly four hundred feet down already, and now he was another three hundred feet below that.
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:56 pm

After a full hour, he had only made it less than a third of the way up. In addition to carrying the extra dead weight of Arrmal, he had to carefully transition him to the new cable after each anchor. His whole body was shaking violently with the exertion of lifting hand over hand by now. Despite the cold, he was now sweating profusely, making it difficult to keep his sontavs from slipping off of his hands. His mind conspired against him by suggesting that at this rate he would slip and fall long before he made it to a flat piece of land. Shaking his head as if that would toss the thought free, he ground his teeth and pushed upwards with even more vigor from a sudden burst of adrenaline. "Just one hand above the other. Just keep doing it. Don't think about falling, Shadyn. Don't listen to yourself. Don't think about anything. I just need to move up once more...now once again...and --"
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
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Into the Skies, Autumn 513 AV

Postby Shadyn on September 4th, 2015, 8:56 pm

Then both he and Arrmal were lifted up. He could hear the softly loud sound of a Wind Eagle's wing beats as they both were lifted from the wall and out into the middle of the crater. The magnificent creature spread its wings, and the invisible currents that only a bird can map began to raise it silently higher and higher into the sky. Shadyn was hanging from one of its immense talons, and to his surprise, not only was Arrmal suspend from the other one -- the rope flapping in the breeze from where the Eagle had deftly sliced it free -- but both of their toolbelts and jewel bags were there as well. It suddenly occurred to Shadyn that the Wind Eagle he had seen earlier was indeed watching...

The Eagle did not land when they reached the top of the mountain. Shadyn, puzzled, asked in weary tones, "Thank you for saving us, but...uh...where exactly are you taking us?"

He did not receive a response. Instead, to his amazement, the Eagle performed a half twist, and flick Shadyn up onto his back. His surprise only increased when he found that the Eagle was equipped in full tack...this had definitely not been an impromptu rescue.

"I want you to be the one to be see completing this rescue. You were willing to potentially sacrifice yourself and endanger your own life to save this man, when if he had died you would have inherited his entire shop and storehouse of valuables. You deserve the credit...and you deserve a mount."

Though the voice was in his mind, it still bore a distinct sound that called back a distant memory...
"Xarrt!"
______________________________________________

That night, as he fell asleep in the Aeries with Xarrt...HIS mount...sleeping in the other part of the house, he felt a sense of completion -- and exhaustion -- that he had never felt before.
He felt something else as well, however...

The call of adventure into the unknown, into the new, into the future...HIS future....
Narration and Shadyn (normal text) -- Lanira (bold text) -- Thoughts and Xarrt's telepathic speech (italics)

NOTE: No matter what the language of conversation, Shadyn will almost always speak to Lanira in Nari, and she will use Nari with him, unless otherwise stated.
User avatar
Shadyn
Master of Dictomancy
 
Posts: 175
Words: 124526
Joined roleplay: August 29th, 2015, 8:34 pm
Race: Human, Inarta
Character sheet
Plotnotes

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