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82nd – A sudden influx of rabbits causes concern as the season draws to a close and people start to think about the journey southwest to the Fall Grounds. Two Striders are put down after breaking a leg due to deep warrens. Hunters from all across the city go out to try and control the issue.

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Not found on any map, Endrykas is a large migrating tent city wherein the horseclans of Cyphrus gather to trade and exchange information. [Lore]

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That's What Friends Are For

Postby Dravite on September 2nd, 2015, 7:35 pm

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It was late in the season and Dravite saw no reason in disrupting the man's plans, "it's settled then," he smiled, driving his heel down against another warren in order to force it in on itself, "this fall, you will come and camp with us, your family too if you choose. I’ll recommend you to The Watch and hopefully we will be assigned the same missions."

They had gone some way before Dravite realised how fruitless his efforts seemed, even with Lian's help, "why didn't we bring the dogs?" He piped up, "that might have been smarter."

The hairs on the nape of his neck prickled and Dravite, having detected something, turned around slowly to look into the tussocks; eyeing the tall grass in an attempt to spot whatever it was that had set his senses to high alert. With slow, measured footsteps he edged towards the thick undergrowth, spear raised as he crept forwards to investigate the area ahead of him. Something small, fast, and furry darted out from under his shadow, causing the man to strike, driving his father's bone spear down through the tussocks to pin something on the point of his weapon.

A high pitched screech saw the man fall backwards before he rolled away from the area and danced across the ruined warren to join Lian, abandoning his spear. The smell that permeated the air was unbearable and Dravite couldn’t help but laugh until his ribs were sore, "it got my foot!" He complained, disgust, horror, pain, amusement, regret, shame, quick to set his hands in motion, "a skunk!" He growled and hurriedly bent down to shovel dirt onto his riding boots with his bare hands in order to mask the stench, dulling it a little.

His bone spear moved as the animal was slowly overcome by death, sighing its last breath only a few metres from the hunters. Dravite was just about to go forwards and collect his weapon when he noticed something lunge skyward at the edge of his vision. A rabbit had become trapped in one of his snares and was struggling desperately to free itself as the wire tightened around its neck. The horse lord ran down the edge of the warren, avoiding all of the holes they had come across to claim the rabbit's life on the edge of his dagger. He drew the blade across the creature's neck swiftly to end its suffering before he realised that this was the exact rabbit that had escaped death once already on the edge of his spear.

The two rabbits were tied to the man's leather belt before he worked to unset his second snare and returned to where he had left his weapon. The area still smelt terrible and Dravite wondered how difficult it would be to clean his spear. He kept the skunk impaled on the far end of the weapon and walked with it at arm’s length, "you win," Dravite laughed, "I think I might call it a day and get these lot skinned and cooking."

He looked at the yvas bag stuffed with the rabbits that Lian had caught, "remind me never to put any money on our little bets; my wives would kill me," he laughed then, but quickly stilled to point out a rabbit in the distance, "go on, one more for luck," he told Lian, remaining still so that the man could take the shot.
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Dravite
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That's What Friends Are For

Postby Lian Windrunner on September 3rd, 2015, 11:41 pm

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"Fall it is, then." Lian said with a smile.

He did not mention his family. He did not trust himself to do so. Anger lay too close to the surface, and with it, despair. If Lian looked at it objectively, he could understand why Seirei had left the moment she got a chance to do so. Had their positions been reversed, he might well have done the same. But it was awfully hard to think objectively when the girl had taken his kids away when she fled.

Lian missed the twins so intensely that it felt as though the pain of their absence had to be fatal. He almost wished it was. Dying himself couldn't possibly be as painful as living through the loss of his family a second time. Not to illness this time, but to betrayal.

He even missed Seirei in a strange way. Lian didn't love her...or even see her as more than a means of getting children. But he only owned a single tent, so Seirei and the twins had slept with him each night. Lian had grown accustomed to having someone else around. And now that they were gone, the camp seemed unbearably quiet.

When Dravite asked why they hadn't brought dogs, Lian instantly thought of the dogs he'd bought as a gift for Seirei. Things had happened, and then she had left before he'd had a chance to give them to her. Should he give them to her now, anyway? Doing so might convince her to let him see the twins...right? Was it worth the chance?

"You have hunting dogs?" Lian asked after a few ticks.

"I wish I did. I've got a pair of hunting cats, but I don't use them much. Talise can't stand them, and quite frankly, I don't blame her. They aren't trained very well, and I don't have the skill to retrain them. Yet, anyway. I hope to learn more in the future."

Lian wasn't in a laughing mood, but he did grin at Dravite when he complained about the skunk getting his foot. And when his friend found a rabbit in one of his traps, he was genuinely happy for him. Dravite suggested calling it a day, and Lian desperately wanted to ask the man to hunt with him for a little while longer. Anything to put off returning to his silent, lonely camp for a bit more. All that was left for him there were the echoes of Lukar's and Lira's presence. Memories of them giggling over some new discovery, babbling to each other, or crying for attention were everywhere, a constant reminder of what he had lost.

Dravite pulled Lian out of his depressing thoughts by alerting him to the presence of another rabbit. With his friend's encouragement, Lian took the shot. As he watched, the arrow's aim was slightly off, likely due to his distraction. But it still hit the animal with enough force to impale it. The rabbit let out a shrill death cry, convulsed for a few ticks, then went still. Lian gathered up his latest kill, then turned to his friend.

"It probably is time to call it a day. We definitely have to do this again, though." he said with a grin..
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Lian Windrunner
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That's What Friends Are For

Postby Dravite on September 4th, 2015, 8:33 pm

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When Dravite returned to camp he couldn't help but sit and wonder about Lian and the tensions he had sensed towards the end of their trip, as if his friend had a weight on his shoulders he was not ready to lift. The horse lord had not asked, nor would he push to make the man share anything, but come fall when they had agreed that meet again, perhaps, he thought to himself, he would speak up in an attempt to find out if Lian's troubles were anything he could help with.

"What is that smell?" Belkaia coughed.
"Me," Dravite laughed, "and dinner," he teased, holding up the skunk he had started gutting.
"I won't eat that," the woman protested.
"Then for you, my love; rabbit stew," he smiled over his shoulder to look back at Belkaia.
She smiled in return, "thank you."

With the wet pelts set to one side, Dravite divided the skunk meat between his two hunting dogs and started cutting up the rabbit meat with his hunting knife, careful not to cut away any of the fiddly little bones that his family wouldn't like to find in their dinner. He tossed the meat into the pan to brown it and let Kavu and Meka take the remains; both dogs being rather well fed this evening.

As the meat started cooking, Dravite added a small pinch of salt before starting work on his pelts. The skunk was first, worked with a large handful of salt in an attempt to preserve the pelt and tan it properly. He would consider investing in a tanning kit sometime in the near future to make a better go of things and maybe even start his own leather company someday. For now it was a small hobby he enjoyed, one he found rather relaxing. The rabbit skins were next, both a lot lighter than the skunk pelt and easier to work the salt into. He went right up to the edges and cut off both tails to keep for a crafting project he planned to tackle once he had all he needed.

Dravite quickly checked on the meat in the pan before turning it over and adding some water, diced carrots, beans, and honey to try and thicken it up into a hearty stew. Their wouldn't quite be enough to go around the whole pavilion, so Dravite decided that he would skip this particular meal so that everyone else in his care could be fed.
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Dravite
Ra’athi of The Watch Troha to Tavehk
 
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That's What Friends Are For

Postby Pearl on October 18th, 2015, 8:12 pm

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DRAVITE


Experience
  • Mathematics 1
  • Weapon: shortbow 5
  • Medicine 1
  • Planning 2
  • Riding: Horse 2
  • Webbing 2
  • Organisation: 1
  • Leadership 2
  • Land Navigation 1
  • Hunting 4
  • Teaching 2
  • Logic 1
  • Storytelling 1
  • Stealth 2
  • Foraging 1
  • Meditation 1
  • Weapon: Spear 3
  • Tracking 1
  • Trapping 2
  • Intelligence 1
  • Detection 1
  • Endurance 1
  • Animal Husbandry 1
  • Tanning 1
  • Wilderness Survival 1
  • Cooking 1

Lore
  • Shortbow: Perfect for fighting from horseback
  • Summer 515: A sudden rabbit influx in Endrykas
  • The advantages of learning a ranged weapon
  • Shortbow: Basics of using a bow
  • Shortbow: An instinctive shot
  • Lian: An inspiring hunting partner
  • Webbing: Tying items to the web
  • Tracking: Following a blood trail
  • Lian: Not affraid to ask for help
  • The smell of a skunk

Penalties
  • 3 x arrow (lost, please remove from CS)

Injuries
  • Graze on left arm: Will heal within eight to ten days

Rewards
  • 2 x rabbit
  • 1 x Skunk Pelt (common condition)



LIAN


Experience
  • Observation 4
  • Webbing 1
  • Logic 3
  • Socialiaztion 3
  • Teaching 1
  • Rhetoric 3
  • Hunting 3
  • Weapon: Shortbow 3
  • Storytelling 2
  • Planning 1
  • Endurance 1
  • Wilderness Survival 1

Lore
  • Summer 515: A sudden rabbit influx in Endrykas
  • Land Navigation: Setting Landmarks
  • Lian: Always wanted to be a Web Mage
  • Dravite: Married to Trail Riverstone's daughter
  • Trail's father was a weaponsmith
  • Trapping: Set traps early in the morning
  • Planning: Making arrangements

Rewards
  • 8 x rabbits


Thank you both for allowing me to grade your thread. As always, you both tell a beautiful story that was very enjoyable to read. If you feel I've missed anything, please do let me know!


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