Solo Rabbit Season

It's a lovely day to learn to hunt.

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

Rabbit Season

Postby Pluckett on July 12th, 2019, 5:26 am

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24 of Summer 519 AV - Zintia

The sun was breaking the horizon when Pluckett exited her small apartment. She made her way out, the humid morning air washing over her. She had big plans for today. She wove through the plaza, which already had a few others coming out from their dawn rest. It did take her a while to get used to Lhavit's bizarre sleep schedule, but over time she'd come to appreciate it. She stretched as she ran through the instructions to her first destination.
Hunting was a skill Pluckett never had the misfortune to require learning. In Syliras, the city and her father provided any food the family needed. Once she had left for the sea, the majority of her meals were preserved or fish, which the svefra typically took care of capturing in large nets tossed over the side of the ship. She did know that the ability to provide for one's self was required in most of Mizahar. It couldn't be that hard if so many others succeeded with it throughout history.
Some casual conversation with a hunter a few days ago had given her the directions to start. First, she needed a weapon of some sort to hunt with. The hunter also recommended trapping, but Pluckett felt that the thrill of actually pulling the shots was going to be more rewarding. A bow should work. She found the entrance to the Azure Market, merely a winding road leading away from the plaza lined with all sorts of shops. She made her way in.

The shops were all so diverse, but similarly constucted and in varying states of repair. Some looked like no soul had stepped in for ages; others showed clear signs of wear. The hunter said the shop she was looking for was in the upper parts, closer to the peak. The road led uphill. The slope ranged from a gentle climb to actual stairs. The market wasn't yet at its busiest. Nonetheless, occasionally another citizen would pass. There was a woman who seemed absolutely sure to her destination, pushing past Pluckett and not even glancing at the buildings to either side before dissapearing around the corner. A man sitting on a bench eyed Pluckett while she stopped to peer into a shop with faded windows and a particularly interesting odor. She could make out a variety of trinkets inside, which she eventually realized were a variety of smoking pipes, intricately formed by whatever artist was inside. A huff from the man reminded her to stop gawking. She stepped off and continued down the path.
"Hey, young lady!" The voice of an older woman rang in the morning air, causing Pluckett to pause and look over. The woman was wrinkled, and her smile was lined by a very bold lipstick. Her nails were long, and the dress she had on was layered and colorful. The woman didn't wait for Pluckett's response.
"Do you have any young men you're after? Any suitors? If you do, those rags you're in are not going to do the job. I've got some things that'll make you shine."
Pluckett considered this for a moment. She didn't have eyes for any particular person at the time, but a new outfit would be nice. Not today, though. She had a mission.
"Not today, I might be back sometime, though."
The woman frowned, familiar with those empty promises of return that every passerby gave. She waved Pluckett off and watched down the road.

Continuing on the road, Pluckett became aware of just how much closer to the peak she was. She paid close attention to the signs hanging from the walls and on the doors, until she came accross the name she was looking for.
Wullis Weapons, with the 'and son' crossed out. Sounded like a story there, but there was no time for gossip, as the sun was already visible in the sky. It was shabby, but the door was already propped open. She stepped inside.
The man who she presumed was the owner was not at the counter, but was over by a shelf. Daggers lined the shelf, each one quite different from the one before. Some were broader, some pointier, some had gems inlaid on the handle. The man became aware of her entry and turned. He gave a nod and a simple greeting.
"Anything I can help with today?"
Pluckett took a second to glance around the shop before stating, "I'm looking for a hunting bow."
"Long or short? Or are you interested in a crossbow?"
Pluckett had a vague understanding of these categories.
"I think a shortbow should do the trick."
He gestured over to a wall that held a variety of bows, mounted on nails. She stepped over.
"You are Wullis, I assume?" She asked. The bows were quite diverse. Most were simple wood constructs, many with leather wrapped around the center. The majority were worn from prior use.
"I am. Never seen you around this city, new?"
"I was born in Syliras, and I moved here last season. I'm Pluckett."
The man nodded, also carefully looking over the bows. He spoke up, "have you ever owned a bow before?"
"Nope. I've never really shot one, either, but I'm going to start learning today."
"So you'd want a bow that's forgiving and reliable..." His voice trailed out, speaking more for himself than with her, "and nothing too fancy, someone with no experience is bound to be too hard with their hands..."
Pluckett listened intently. She trusted his word. She wasn't quite sure how to determine bow quality or strength for herself.
He finally reached and pointed to an eye-level bow on the left side of the wall. "This one is hardy. It's old owner was a man who'd used it to train his children to hunt."
"That should work well," Pluckett agreed. A bow that had aleady proven its value. The man nodded his head at it, prompting her to gently take it from the wall. It was light, and the wood was smooth where hands have worked it much before. She stepped back and tugged the string, holding it up the way she knew archers did. It was springy and the string was not so different from the one on her gamba bow.
"Be careful with the string when you're not shooting. That wears it down. It'll be 30 kina, 1 kina for 20 arrows, assuming you need those as well."
She quickly lowered it, then stepped over to the counter, pulling out her coinbag while setting the bow in front of her. The man counted out 20 arrows and tied a string loosely around them.
Pluckett sat the kina on the counter. Wullis counted them to confirm, then gestured to the bows. "Pleasure doing business with you. Be careful with it."
She nodded and took her purchases, making her way out of the shop into the warm sun.

Ledger :
Item Cost (Kina)
Shortbow 30
Arrows 1

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Rabbit Season

Postby Pluckett on August 11th, 2019, 2:54 am

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After weaving her way back through the market, Pluckett headed Southeast-ward, following one of the major paths through Zintia's peak. At last, a large and intricate skyglass bridge stretched before her, leading over a large valley of mist and forest. The tallest treetops brushed along the bottom of the unique material. Even after living here for a couple seasons, the rush of vertigo that the skyglass bridges brought filled her very being as she began crossing. All around her were the intricate carvings. She knew very little about the construction of the bridges, aside from the fact that they were formed by those under the goddess Zintila herself. Either way, it was such a strong contrast with anywhere she had come from before.
The peak of Tenten loomed closer. It wasn't as busy as the central peak, but instead seemed like everything was built with purpose. She hadn't explored much of this peak yet, but knew from talk it was the location of one of Mizahar's rare places of knowledge. She wasn't much of a reader, herself. She preferred listening or doing to learn rather than study. Luckily, the main city paths were, albiet twisted, easy enough to follow that getting lost on her way to the southernmost peak wouldn't be easy.
Her assumption proved correct, as she was through the city before long, into another large skyglass bridge. More trees below. More mist everywhere. At least the weather wasn't as wretched as last season. She remembered being told of a Pilgrimage on her arrival seasons ago, where one would walk the bridges seeking the stories woven inside. Maybe another day, she told herself every time. She recognized okomo and religious symbols among the carvings, but turned to look ahead at the next peak.

Sartu was the first sight she saw in sailing towards the city, and what made her decide to stay. A gloriously tall peak, reaching above the clouds themselves.
Now she was more familiar with the area. She conjoured the directions the hunter had given her in her mind, and tried to make her way towards the guild, near the main gate. Finally a large building that certainly looked to Pluckett like hunters would call it home appeared ahead. A sign outside confirmed the destination. She went inside the heavy wood doors.
The great room was dim and lit by candles and fire, with some light peeking in through the windows from outside. So many heads of animals - some of which Pluckett didn't even recognize - lined the walls, ranging from small predators flashing teeth to huge beasts with antlers so vast that she could crawl inside and hide in. Each one had a name under it, a species name, and usually some details on the hunt and size of the beast.
"Looking for someone?"
A gruff voice behind her spoke up. She turned to see a intimidating figure standing a head and a half above her, and twice as wide. She stepped to the side and turned.
"I'm looking for - what was his name? Liard. He's got red hair, and a beard, he said we was usually around here because we talked about having some training today, because he came into the bar while I was working and I wanted to learn some hunting skills, you know, because I think it'd be use-"
"Ah, he mentioned finding someone who was looking to get some wilderness experience. Some curious girl who loved to talk. He should be somewhere around here."
She was cut off, burning when her love of talking was brought up. Do I really come off like that?
With that, she heard a gentle mrow from a cat. A calico. She peered at the two from the staircase.
Just further down the stairs was the man she recognized from the bar.
"So you did show up."
He didn't sound displeased, at least.

"I usually hold my word," Pluckett already stepped away from the door, half-lifitng her recently purchased bow. The cat circled Liard's feet. He gestured to her bow as he walked over, and she held it out.
"Not too shabby. Could use a little work, but I'm sure you'll do fine. Practiced with it yet?"
Pluckett pressed her lips togerher.
"well, no."
This was met with a very exasperated look. The other man chuckled and made his way towards the fireplace. Maybe hunting was not for her, but there was only one way to find out. She doubled down. This wasn't her first time being heckled by men that definitely knew more than her about what they were doing, and it wouldn't be the last. If she stepped back at this sort of thing, she'd still be in Syliras.
"How exactly do you plan to kill something if you haven't even shot anything yet?"
"Well. That's an... excellent question, and I must say, I'll just have to figure it out."
"And are you really planning out going out into the wilderness in rags?"
"These rags survived the sea!"
"The sea is not covered in petching thorns."
Pluckett, now thouroughly embarrassed, persisted anyways.
"Well, how about you train me, like you offered? I have the money."
He sighed. "I may have been drunk at the time, but an offer's an offer. Let me grab my damn bow." He left Pluckett feeling some shame. Nonetheless, she was excited for the training.

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Rabbit Season

Postby Pluckett on August 19th, 2019, 4:45 am

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"Now this trail is quite frequently travelled", Liard mentioned as they left the guild, "so you hopefully won't get too scratched up." His cat, who she was now aware was named Misty, trotted ahead. Almost like a dog.
The Unforgiving was ahead. Mountains hid the horizon, each one coated in thick foliage almost all the way to the top. A few had tops that thinned out into rock. It was a nice view, albiet intimidating for anybody, let alone someone with no experience with the wilderness. The path ahead quickly turned from the relatively clear yard of the Guild to a towering mass of trees. It was in the mass that Liard pointed out the trail. Pluckett peered close but could not even tell it was supposedly cleared for travel.
The trail became clearer, if only a little, in the form of some well-trampled bush barely wider than the average man. Branches stuck out over the crushed leaves. Liard ducked under them with ease, knowing well ahead of time where to step. Even the cat seemed familiar with the path, silent and not far ahead.
Pluckett, on the other hand, was trying to watch the movements of the man and mimic them. He stepped on what seemed to be a clear spot without so much as a noise. Pluckett put her foot where she swore she had his but instead snapped a twig buried under leaf litter. Maybe step lighter. She tried, on her toes. Quieter.
Until she tripped over a large root. She managed to catch herself on a branch. Thank the-
"Petch!"
She had slapped her palm directly on a thorn and let the curse escape her.
"Petching brambles, watch out for those," Liard warned without even looking back, "they can draw some damn blood."
Luckily, the wound was minor. It tore skin, and a tiny trickle of blood came from the puncture. The sting already faded away. She continued on before her trainer could get too far ahead. He wasn't doing much training, to be honest.
The trees were tall, she noticed. She had been around trees and woods before, but nothing like the towering monstrosities around her. Another bramble caught her pant leg. She shook it free and continued onwards.
They passed around a huge leafy plant and found themselves at the top of a slope. A rolling stream at the bottom had cut away a very small gorge. The sheer rock faces seperated sections of underbrush that held onto every stable surface they could. Pluckett could appreciatte it, at least she thought, until Liard began explaining.
"Alright, girl. This is the kind of thing you want to pay attention to - see those plants there?"
Pluckett looked where he was pointing. Yes, there were plants there.
"Uh, there's plants everywhere, sir."
The man remained silent for a moment, before giving a sigh.
"Those. With the seed heads."
Pluckett's silent squint prompted another exhausted reaction.
"The damn round and brown things at the end of the damn... sticking out parts... of the petching plant."
She scooted a little closer and noticed that there was in fact small orbs at the end of the stems on one of the many, many plants, with some stems bare at the tips. The orbs were covered in bumps and little holes.
"Bulboru. You've probably seen the flowers about. Pink round flowers."
Pluckett did notice some nice pink flowers around the city, small fluffy things. She managed to piece it together as their cat companion gave a curious sniff to the bush.
"So these are the seeds."
"Seed pods. The seeds are-" he took one of them into his fist and pulled it off, opening his hand to reveal small flat seeds among the crushed head, "these. When the head is ready, these split open and the seeds spread around the ground. See their shape? They can float a good distance away with a heavy enough breeze."
Pluckett absorbed this information well enough.
"Why are they important? Do deer like them?"
Liard tilted his head.
"The deer like them fine. The real appeal is in the root."
He crouched to where the cat was, shoving his hand under the rotting leaf litter and pushing aside dirt. Pluckett crouched but did not attempt the digging. The digging had revealed a few fat roots. They looked unremarkable.
Liard went on.
"Now these - you ever get sick, having a few of these bastards on hand are going to be your best friend. They reduce a fever. I don't know how they work, just that herbologists and healers will pay for as many as you can get during the summer. Eating the raw root isn't as good as whatever concoction they make from it."
Well, if she ever felt sick, now she knew to dig up some pink flowers. She felt like she was missing something.
"Why are you teaching me about plants? I signed up for hunting."
Liard looked sternly at her.
"You want to learn how to hunt. If you want to be able to hunt, you have to know how to not petching die in the woods. Knowing plants is step one."
She nodded. Ok, fine, pink flowers help fever.
He stood up and gestured ahead, then continued along the top of the slop.

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Rabbit Season

Postby Pluckett on September 5th, 2019, 2:23 am

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The ground got steeper as they ventured onwards into the valley, where the mountaintops towered overhead, and the forest managed to grow even thicker. Not only was the angle of the forest floor making footing difficult, but the recent rains had soaked the leaf litter and dirt until every step had Pluckett gripping a branch and trying desperately not to slip.
Liard stopped suddenly, causing Pluckett to lose her footing and fall down the slope, directly into a bush.
The sound caused something in the woods to make a loud snapping sound. Her trainer cursed, and she followed his gaze to where a blur of white disappeared into the woods.
"There were at least three of the petchers!" Liard angrily shook his head. "How the hell are we supposed to hunt if you're trampling around? I never guessed training a useless chunk of shyke like you would be such a nightmare!"
Pluckett pulled herself up.
"Listen, just because I'm not an expert at the woods doesn't mean I'm useless!"
"You want to learn how to hunt? How to survive? Or is this just a game to you? Something to do because life in the cozy city isn't exciting enough?"
Pluckett didn't even know how to reply. Her pride was attacked, she was insulted, and she deeply regretted even mentioning that she'd like to learn how to hunt.
She stood, lips pressed together, eyes burning. She wouldn't let herself cry. She knew that she was in too deep. His cat obviously detected the tension and was puffing out her tail, eyes hard on the quivering young woman.

This wasn't the first time this sort of ordeal had happened. When she first found herself on a boat at sea, she was useless. Half of the jargon the sailors would throw at her made no sense, and the fratava they communicated it often only complicated the matter. She never got good enough at sailing to become a full-fledged crew member, but over time she at least stopped being a burden.
She just needed time. She just needed to get her hands on, get her mind wrapped around hunting. She gave a very slow nod, then started speaking again.
"I'm sorry. I do want to learn how to hunt."
Liard scoffed, but no longer seemed on the verge of abandoning her in the woods. Even his cat seemed to lower her guard, her tail now lowering and giving a few, small flicks.
"Fine. But you're going to have to put some real effort in. It's getting late anyways."
"We're not even going to hunt?"
"You haven't even fired an arrow! It's better to learn the woods first, girl."
Frustrated, but understanding, Pluckett nodded.
"Next time, then?"
"Perhaps. Maybe some target practice first."

At least she ended on a good note, getting a promise of another lesson. The journey back, unfortunately, was entirely uphill. Eventually they made it back, Pluckett paid for her time, and headed back home with much to remember.

Ledger :
Item Cost (Kina)
Hunting Lesson (Novice) .5

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Pluckett
If I cannot fly, let me sing.
 
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Rabbit Season

Postby Madeira Dusk on September 11th, 2019, 5:50 pm

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Grades Awarded!

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Pluckett

Skills
  • Observation: 4xp
  • Planning: 1xp
  • Socialization: 3xp
  • Land Navigation: 2xp
  • Persuasion: 1xp
  • Wilderness Survival: 2xp
  • Stealth: 2xp
  • Herbalism: 1xp
  • Rhetoric: 1xp

Lores
  • Planning: preparing for the future
  • Providing for oneself is a require skill
  • Location: Azure Market
  • Location: Willis Weapons
  • Observation: assessing quality
  • Location: the Hunter's Guild
  • Persuasion: nagging insistence
  • Herbalism: medicinal use of Bulboru

Awards & Retribution
+Shortbow= -30ki
+20 Arrows= -1ki
+Hunting Lessons (novice)= -5ki

Notes
Poor Pluckett! I want to take your earnest chatterbox and wrap her up with blankets and cups of tea. <3
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