Solo Among the Ancient Stones of Sylira

Akasja and her guide reach the Wildlands across the Syliran border

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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.

Among the Ancient Stones of Sylira

Postby Akasja on May 10th, 2016, 4:58 am

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49th of Spring, 516 AV
Mid afternoon


Four weeks had passed since Akasja and her Drykas guide had left the relative safety of Endrykas. The first couple of weeks had landed the pair halfway across Cyphrus, at the river’s end, in the area where Enrdrykas would settle again come summer. The next two weeks had been even more tiring than the first, and without a river to guide them, Akasja found herself seeking a sense of direction through the plains around her. It was no easy task. As long as they kept the setting sun behind them, Akasja knew they were headed in the right direction every day, but other than that, she would have been mercilessly lost on the plains were it not for her loyal and gracious Drykas guide.

Akasja did know, according to what the guide had told her and what she had heard prior from other Drykas, that they were getting closer to Sylira because of the increasing hilliness of the terrain. By the 40th day of Spring, not far ahead in the distance, Akasja had finally seen the western mountains of Sylira. Not long after that, the traveling pair crossed the border unceremoniously, save for the shared expressions of relief on both of their faces.

It was the 49th day of Spring, and Akasja and her guide were almost swallowed by the hills and rocky terrain. Still, one formation of giant rocks stood out above the rest, a mere mile away: something the guide referred to as “the caern”. The Drykas told Akasja it was an ancient burial place -and an easy meeting spot. It also let them know that they were only five days to a week from reaching the city of Syliras.

By the time the pair reached the foot of the caern, Akasja felt a renewed sense of determination. They were no longer so far from safety, from a new city and new ways of life. She and the guide were able to pause for a while, to look around them at the shorter hills below and at the sparsely forested landscape, taking in the increasingly bountiful greenery with relieved contentment. Yes, they had to be on alert most of the time, but what was the journey worth if one could never enjoy it? The mountains were tough to navigate, but here the lushness of the flora was a little forgiving.
“This place let us see far,” the guide spoke. “Not many people make problems here. They respect the caern.”
“It is beautiful here,” Akasja agreed with quiet reverence, her eyes ceaselessly scanning the landscape below them. Here, undisturbed and in good health, Akasja felt the warmth of her ancestors on the spring breeze. They had followed her all this way, she was certain. Hopefully by this evening, Akasja thought, she and her guide would come upon the next solid place to set up camp -somewhere he had mentioned earlier- and they both would sleep well, knowing their destination was no longer far off.

Suddenly, Akasja’s gaze caught movement among the lower cliffs. Her brow furrowed as she peered through the trees and brush to see what it could be – and her breath caught in her throat.

The black face of the beast was striking and large, with a strong, tapered muzzle. Its eyes scanned the forest, glowing golden amber in the afternoon light. As it trotted, its dark chocolate, grey, and charcoal-colored fur bounced with each floating, effortless step. Pausing, the beast sniffed at the ground, then raised its nose and scented the air. Before Akasja could even move to point it out to her guide, she had lost sight of it entirely.
“You followed us,” Akasja whispered in Tawna, staring into the forest below. She turned slowly to her guide. “The wolf,” she spoke to him in Common, then signed the word for follow. She didn't even question whether or not it was the same one that had howled for them weeks ago at their campsite on the plains; Akasja had a strong feeling that it was.
The weathered Drykas smiled amusedly, running his fingers along his thick moustache as he peered into the hills below. The wolf could no longer be seen, but it was out there.
“I told you...that is a stubborn one,” he mused.

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Last edited by Akasja on May 21st, 2016, 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Among the Ancient Stones of Sylira

Postby Akasja on May 12th, 2016, 5:17 am

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53rd of Spring, 516 AV
Early morning


Only a few days remained before Akasja and her guide were scheduled to arrive at Syliras, but they had run out of fresh meat, and what they had dried in their packs was not enough to last them the rest of the trip. Akasja, who needed to brush-up on her wilderness skills since living in Endrykas, was glad to accompany her guide in the early morning as he went about making an efficient snare.

A ways away from their campgrounds, Akasja and the guide were able to notice and follow small paw prints in the moist soil -those belonging to rabbits. With more than one set of footprints, Akasja knew this would be an optimal place to set up a trap. The presence of a tiny den dug into the earth just underneath a rocky outcropping sealed the deal for the two travelers.

Akasja watched as the guide removed a snare from his pack. He anchored the snare in place by using a stiff piece of wire to secure it around the base of a sapling. Akasja procured a small, thick piece of timber that could support the snare itself. With sticks, she carefully lined a rough pathway leading towards the snare that would help to guide the animal into the trap. The guide lowered the snare's hoop close enough to the ground so that a rabbit would be likely to walk into it, and then he made sure to cover his tracks with care.
Return, he signed, and Akasja began to quietly make her way back to their camp, moving precisely so as not to disturb the landscape unnecessarily, or make too much noise. The guide trailed her with similar finesse.

After a few hours of work at their campsite, a mixture of sharpening weapons, patching up clothes, and preparing for further travel, the guide decided he would return to the snare they had set. Akasja stayed at the camp, keeping watch over it as she packed up some final supplies. She kept the fire low and a few blades and tools out in anticipation of skinning and preparing fresh rabbit.

It was not long before the Drykas guide returned in a huff. He whistled low to let Akasja know it was he who was coming, and Akasja turned to see his exasperated form emerge from the forest. He moved with less control now, visibly upset.
Concern, confusion, Akasja signed. "What happened?"
The guide held the empty snare out in front of him. A few tufts of fur clung to it, but other than that, there was no rabbit to be found.
"Petching wolf!" the guide growled, and stomped over to his pack to clean and store the snare.
Akasja's mouth hung open as she realized the beast who had been following them was using the travelers to find its meals!
"How you know it was him?" she asked.
"I saw the petching marks!" the Drykas man replied. "Its footprints were on the ground."

Akasja's stomach rumbled, but she chose not to say anything about it to the guide; it would only infuriate him further at this point. The fact that the wolf had been so brazen as to steal their food, and yet so clever as to know the travelers would provide it, struck Akasja with a sense of respect. The beast certainly knew how to survive, even without a pack to help it.
"It is a smart animal," Akasja remarked with a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders, putting the rest of their tools away. "If it do not eat all our food, maybe it is good to have the wolf with us."
The Drykas man was readying his Strider and grumbling to himself. "If," he emphasized. "But we must continue now. We can forage later, as we travel. We have lost too much time feeding our greedy orphan."

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Postby Ashlia on May 29th, 2016, 1:15 pm

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Among the Ancient Stones of Sylira

Postby Konrad Venger on September 14th, 2016, 7:16 pm

Akasja

XP:
Land Navigation - 1
Observation - 2
Tracking - 1
Trapping - 1

Lore:
Navigating by Artificial Markers
Trapping: Good Location for a Snare


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Note: As of Fall 517AV, Konrad is known only as "Hansel" in Endrykas
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