Quest Monstrous Surprises

event on the 20th

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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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Monstrous Surprises

Postby Rufio on October 28th, 2016, 9:03 pm

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    " hayh, Rufio!"

The call came from an imposing Drykas warrior, whose strider was a striking midnight black. Rufio recognised the Diamon Clansman as her pavilion-brother, Lodai. With a groan, she was caught.

     A shift in her weight told the red-dun stallion to halt, and Loha swiveled his thick, concave face to look at his rider with query flicking his ears.

    "Did you know, south is out of bounds? Come with me, there's a gathering." Duty was in his sign, and Rufio couldn't begrudge him it, so she shrugged and let the midnight stallion bump Loha into a walk back the way they came.

  They joined the throng that gathered.

Rufio's intrigue peaked higher and higher. The mystery. Rufio's was intrinsically caught up in it. So it was, when the call came, Rufio answered with a silent, ardent raise of her wind-marked arm.


▵ ▿ ▵


    Within the 30 chimes...

            "Rufio you aren't serious?" Disbelief. Lodai strode, a giant towering beside her, as he argued.

His falx strapped across his back, his heavy gait belying the mammoth strength in his muscles, his brooding brow suggestive of his troubled thoughts.

The Ra'athi would have been a better candidate for this Mystery but the short, freckle-specked half-Drykas was not put off her course. "I am."

The Stormblood warrior sucked his teeth, thinking how to get her out of this trouble she had got herself in. "Azmere won't like this. You do remember how you met, ah?" Trouble-seeker.

Rufio felt an impish grin settle across her features and chuckled inwardly. "Lodai, the Watch would not send us if they believed we would be in mortal danger. I want to help. Lodai, I want to do something."

The warrior tossed his hands in a sign of exasperation. "You do do things, here, at home."

            The half-Drykas halted, suddenly, in their tracks. She gripped the Ra'athi's leather vest in her fist, peered up at him from beneath freckles and a shaggy fringe of thick, charcoal hair. Her ochre gaze held with his, deeply. The warrior ruminated.

Sensing out her gaze, he could feel the strength with which she gripped his vest in her arm. He sighed loudly—"Alright. Alright." Persuaded by her conviction, his sign tossed defeat.

Rufio grinned and set her upper teeth along her lower lip, before reminding him of a memory they shared, persuading. "Stare down the wolf."

Lodai couldn't help but groan, amused, and shrugged as he gently unfurled her fingers from his leather. "Geht Voune." He cussed under his breath, and then—"Stare down the wolf." Courage.

Rufio thumped his arm with her fist—happy to have his blessing—and chased off to fetch her falx from within the pavilion. Before she mounted her strider, she hesitated.

      "Tell Ixzo I will be home soon..it is a promise." The warrior shunted his weight, thoughtfully, and nodded. With the bond that she and the night-lion Kelvic shared, Rufio felt a sudden pang. Her conviction wavered lightly as the thought of leaving Ixzo churned across her freckled features.

Lodai chuckled and shoved her shoulder on roughly.
"Go."       —she did.


▵ ▿ ▵


You on horse, Khida signed, the curve of her hand indicating all three Drykas. My horse with. I fly, I watch. Best. You watch, here you listen here; I there, I watch above, I guard.

Rufio's features flickered with a flash of confusion at that, before her confusion turned to bewildered awe as woman became bird. A kelvic!

Quiet respect stole into her regard for the Kelvic, at her pragmatic mind. The half-Drykas threw a curious look to Brocton. She recognized him from a meeting at fishing once before, a season past.

Flashing him a grin of excitement, Rufio clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and urged Loha in to follow the seasoned Watchman. Feeling the weight of the falx strapped to her back, Rufio's shoulders strained and tensed under it.

As they passed under the Wind Knotted Gates and into the familiar plains, Loha's flanks bunched beneath her thighs and she felt a smile slip along her lips as the wind ruffled through her hair, pulling loose the tiny braids she had woven.

        The thrill of the ride, and the sense of
           a d v e n t u r e
   beneath Zulrav's thundering temper
                    sparked in her
      bones.

As they thumped across the grasses, Rufio looked up at Khida The Watchful, gliding above. The sight of her against the stormy clouds, Rufio mused, was beautiful.


▵ ▿ ▵


When the seasoned warrior dismounted to study the tracks, Rufio watched curiously. With little ken in the way of reading Semele, she stayed mounted so as not to disrupt anything with her own prints.

Loha grumbled lightly, stomping is fore-hoof. Rufio took in the way his ears swiveled, his head jutting. He was nervous. The half-Drykas laid a hand on his thick, arched neck and hummed to soothe him.

     The falcon shrieked.

Rufio's ochre gaze snapped upward - before it fell to the danger - with an outcry of surprise - her hands clumsily sought the long handle of her curved weapon. Yanking it free from the myriad of straps.

     W o l v e s !

Her falx was heavy, and cumbersome on horseback. The half-Drykas urged her strider towards Weebly, with meaning to aid him. Though she struggled to get a sturdy grip on the two-handed weapon in just one of her hands.

Loha skittered, grunting deeply in his throat and thrashed out at the wolves with an aggressive forehoof. Rufio made a move to get down off of his back, but the strider twisted himself and the momentum worked against her.

"Loha!" Rufio yelled, as the strider backed up, meeting with Brocton's mare, pressing his shoulder towards hers. The horse had better instincts than his rider when it came to wolves. He stayed by the mare, sticking together.

Rufio's ochre orbs, wide with fear, met with a wolf's. Mirrored. The half-Drykas felt her breath catch in her throat. There was a chorus of growling about them. The wolves snapped and lashed out at their striders.

Rufio felt Loha edge back, had to grip the yvas with her remaining hand, as he reared, kicking out hooves to ward off the attack. She sensed Brocton beside her. Heard the gruesome salivating growl as a wolf bit into his thigh.

"Brocton!" Rufio yelled, pressing Loha to turn about, into the right angle, so she could swing at the wolf with her falx. It was no use, the stallion was too intent on the beast in front of them.
    SNAP, SNAP! Its jaws foamed,
                     snarling.

Hearing the shrieks of the falcon as it swooped to Brocton's aid. Rufio felt relief. Rocks rained. Gritting her teeth—and with determinant madness—the half-Drykas kicked Loha's flanks. The red-dun strider laid his ears flat—and l e a p t.

The wolf that was standing between them and the seasoned warrior yelped in surprise. It scattered from beneath her horse's hooves at a hare's breadth. Loha neighed—a war-cry—and threw his head up with wide-nostrils.

"Yhah!" Rufio urged and Loha kicked up his hooves, emboldened by her commands. They turned to trample the wolves that were tormenting Weebly.

Amidst Weebly's dagger slashes, the beasts scattered.

     The wolves fled.


▵ ▿ ▵


  Thump, thump, thump, thump.
    Rufio's heart was pounding at her ribs.

The half-Drykas stumbled down off of her horse, letting the falx clang to the grasses as she rushed to kneel at Weebly's side. There was blood, everywhere, sinking into Semele.

A hulking mass of wiry fur obscured him a little, and Rufio looked to Brocton's aid as she heaved to shove the dead wolf off of their guide. The half-Drykas' ochre gaze took in Weebly's wounds with steely dismay.

Her hands pressed into the worst at his side, feeling the wet and warmth of his blood against her palms as she strove to staunch the bleeding. The Watchman batted her efforts away.

      He knew what was to come.

  "I won't make it back to Endrykas in time."

Rufio ignored his truth as she stripped cloth from his sleeves and bunched them to the wounds, feeling nausea sweep her as organs squelched back under flesh.

"You have to decide if you three can continue alone or if you will return home," Weebly said with a wheeze.

            Rufio peered into the Watchman's face, the dread of coming-death fell into her freckled features. Rufio heeded it, then, and took away her bloodied hands. Sitting by his side, she looked into his pained eyes. Tears welled in hers.

"It must be your choice. You are the last hope to kill this thing."

      The choice laid before them.

Rufio felt her heart wince as his last breath left him. The fortune-teller stared at him. Disbelief, grief—lay heavily along her shoulders.

With superstitious reverence, Rufio signed farewell, and muttered—"Feis Zul Rhotame." She sent a silent prayer to Zulrav, for strength and courage.

As she gripped her falx by its long, bone handle she got to her feet and looked up at Brocton's face. Into his eyes. At a loss.

Stare down the wolf. The silent mantra soothed her shaking—shock and fear setting in—and gave her courage. "I go on..." Her voice was thick with feeling, though her sign shaped resolve.

Rufio offered Brocton her inked and bloody arm to clasp, a gesture of fellowship borne in their survival. The half-Drykas peered up at Khida, marking her decision.


▵ ▿ ▵



ooc :
Yes, apologies here too, for the length & that it took a few days to get up.
I feel the ST post was a challenge as well. I didn't feel we were made much a part of the story, as much of it was written for us all at once.
Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the rest of this quest!
Just thinking of our graders - shall we split this quest into a second thread soon-ish, maybe after the next 'round'?
" When you visit a witch bring an offering:
food, tobacco, alcohol, secrets, sex or death.
"
Rufio
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Posts: 392
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Monstrous Surprises

Postby Brocton Firestone on October 29th, 2016, 4:02 pm

Image

Timestamp: // "Pavi."
Location: // "Common."
Pavi Sign



In a short amoubt of time that has passed since Brocton returned home to his Pavillion, there was that same Drykas who've returned from the Spitfire calling an urgency for those to gather around, De'anu and Titus went with Brocton following the code, the others of the First one Pavillion decided to stay back and attend to their chores. Light ripples of wind coursed throughout, it unsettled Brocton and he was slightly nervous of what this would mean, what was going to happen here to Endrykas, he wanted to know if there was something threatening the city, he could go out and help. After all, he was one of those Drykas who had spent the majority of his time hunting outside the city, what would go wrong if they needed volunteers for some search party or something?

“I have summoned everyone here because one of our own has been attacked!”

There was a quite murmur throughout the crowd of Drykas, Brocton was shocked, he didn't know what was supposed to happen, now all he had to do was wait to see what the woman had left to say, he needed to know if it was safe to go out again. Though, you wouldn't be a Drykas if you weren't taking risks, after all living out here in the wilds is either life or death by most means, they don't have places of permanent refuge. Only tents, and they provide little protection from attacks, but they always have the web, which could protect them sometimes.

“quiet! We do not know what this has done this. But it is getting closer to the city the longer we wait to act, the longer it has to kill another! We need three volunteers to go with one of our Ra'athi to kill this monster.”

Brocton whispered over to his mother. "What supposed to happen?" The hunter asked looking at her with nearly wide eyed expression, fear slightly dug into his skin, he felt goosebumps beginning to pop up from his arms. He rubbed them uncomfortably. Looking back at the female Watchman, he sighed, waiting to see what more dangerous news she has for them to say about Endrykas.

Brocton stepped forward, even without his parents consent of approval. He did it to protect his beloved tent city. He didn't care what the other pavillions felt.

“This is a dangerous journey. Are you prepared to fight along side each other in the name of Zulrav, the Drykas people, and your families?”

He nodded, not so sure what to say.
~~~~~

_30 Chimes Later_

Brocton already prepared himself for another hunt, he took what venison he had from the deers that he caught earlier in the oast seasons, and his own waterskin that he filled gingerly this morning, his shortbow, longsword and his keather armor that he purchased roughly earlier this morning with his mother.

He found the group, the Watchman, and Rufio and Khida whom all gathered around waiting to set out. It wasn't long before they done so, Khida transformed into a falcon, which Brocton figured was pretty intriguing to watch. He remembered Rufio being a part of the Storm blood Pavillion and thought of Lodai and how he and Lodai set out to Urethane boundaries which consisted of an ancient tower. He hoped Lodai was doing okay.

He stayed quiet for most of the journey, keeping watch carefully, but he couldn't see anything.

_The Attack_

At first when Khida shrieked, he wasn't sure what was going on. Brocton readied his shortbow with an arrow and he felt Jinx's muscle tense. He did his best to sooth her sith hushed sounds of his voice, if he had more than two hands he would pet her, but he wasn't sure if anything like that existed. The beasts that emerged from the sea of grass were all to familiar. Wolves.

Petch.

It always had to be wolves, why can't it be something different other than a wolf, he looked at Rufio with a worried sign, he wasn't sure what to do next, he knew it was stupid for one of the Watchman to enter any further, for that now he's going to put them all at risk. Stupid Watchman, fool he is. Brocton readied himself steadily and fazed intently at the wolves eyes whom snarled and growled, foam beginning to drip out of their mouths. It was almost horrifying.

Jinx did all she can to protect Brocton and the others, though when she backed up she met with Rufio Strider and Brocton nearly shot an arrow at her thinking she was a wolf he quickly signed apologies before being knocked down by a Wolf, his shortbow flew yards away from his grasp and he fell with a satisfying thump onto the hard ground, he felt the bones of the teeth of the wolf sink into his theighs he called out in agony, nausea quickly sweeping over him, he found an arrow by his side and picked it up, stabbing the wolf with dexterous speed as the adrenaline rushed through his body, the wolf yelped and scampered away, focusing on some other target.

Brocton took off his shirt and wrapped it around his theigh, he had his leather armor fortunate enough form to have something covering his abode. He continued to sit and watch Weekly, eyes wide with horror he wasn't expecting another of one of their own to die, Brocton almost died. With the battle over, his heart raced, pumping blood to at least cauterize the wound.

Though the shirt would be good for now, at least until it's soaked with blood, he needed to get back; before it gets infected. Those petching wolves, Brocton will surely not.forget what they've done to him.

Rufio came back and Brocton nodded, grunting as he took her hand.

"My bow?" Brocton asked wearily, dizziness beginning to overwhelm him. "I can't..." Brocton began. head hurts, he signed. He didn't know what else to say, but kept his pain silent and continued to trudge one with their Strider's behind him, Khida followed as well.

They were finally returning home... hopefully.

OOCI'm assuming that we could make another part and head back if we need to. Though there would be some drama once Brocton returns while he's being treated with his wound. XD
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Brocton Firestone
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Monstrous Surprises

Postby Azmere on January 14th, 2017, 12:43 pm

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This was a great start to the quest. I'm going to have to track down part two and see where the group ended up. It will be interesting to see how the stoic and pragmatic kelvic will get along with the mischievous and passionate fortune teller.
 
Khida
Experience

  • Riding – Horse: 1
  • Logic: 1
  • Tactics: 2
  • Socialization: 1
  • Planning: 1
  • Unarmed Combat: 1
Lore

  • Endrykas: A colorful array of tents
  • Location: The Spirfire – part of the Emerald clan
  • Location: The Spitfire – buys a hunter’s kills
  • Logic: Best to keep one’s distance to assess an unknown situation
  • Drykas love to gossip
  • Khida: Can communicate with feathers but not skin
  • Khida: Not shy about shifting in public
  • Tactics: Posting observation between an objective and a target
  • Khida: Feathers are better insulators than clothing
  • Some storms are ok for flying; some are not.
  • The Wind Knotted Gates: A gathering place for information
  • Khida: Not one to back down when it came to protecting her family
  • Planning: Packing for the unknown
  • Tactics: Why ride when you can fly?
  • Watchmen: Tough job; short lives
  • Khida: Longs to be reunited with her better half; the hunter
Notes

  • I really enjoy reading your descriptions of flight and observation. It feels real to me and that makes it a treat but sadly there isn't much I can award. A note about riding: You tend to allow the horse to do most of the actions which is fine. It's all well-written but if you made some slight changes in your approach, that would be a skill where you could easily gather more experience.

 
Rufio
Experience

  • Socialization: 2
  • Meditation: 1
  • Fortune-Telling: 1
  • Planning: 1
  • Observation: 3
  • Riding – Horse: 3
  • Persuasion: 1
Lore

  • Asher: Has a bad leg
  • Asher: Sarcastic grandfather
  • Rufio: Understands that not everyone believes in fortune-telling
  • Fortune-Telling: Tarot Card – The Fool means new beginnings, free spirit, courage, renewal
  • Planning: Packing for the unknown
  • Drykas: haste among the Diamond clan means trouble
  • Loha: Likes to run free
  • Lodai: Imposing Drykas warrior
  • Stormblood Pavilion: Lodai
  • Rufio & Lodai: Stare down the wolf
  • Rufio: Trouble-seeker
  • Khida: A kelvic bird
  • Khida: The watchful
  • Loha: Better instincts than his rider
  • Rufio: The mad tactician
  • Stormblood Pavilion: Asher
Notes

  • It's always fun to read about Rufio's fanciful undertakings into a dangerous world. I think it might be a good idea to refresh yourself on the Wind Knotted Gates. They're just two poles in the center of town with a bunch of ribbons tied around the wood. ;)
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where do you go when you don't know who you are?
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